


Behind the Mask

by lancethelivingmeme



Series: Behind The Mask [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mature rating for swearing and some mild gore, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, all the feels, because why the quiznak not, how does one tag, im sorry, klance, klangst, spideypool AU, this is gay af, this is literal trash, what even have these tags become
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-17
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-09-25 04:23:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 18,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9802469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lancethelivingmeme/pseuds/lancethelivingmeme
Summary: Keith is one of the smartest kids at his school, but he's never really been remotely noticed by anyone. Lance, however, is one of the most popular guys at this same school. Nobody can take their eyes away from him, including Keith, who's had a crush on Lance since the day he met him. What he doesn't know is that Lance has a crush on the city hero, Spiderman. After a chance encounter ends unexpectedly, the masked hero fears for his secrecy... and his feelings for the mysteriously adorable boy he saved.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> AYYYY MY BEANS! Look. I'm finally posting on AO3 Y'ALL BETTER BE PROUD

A blast of warm air hit Keith Kogane's face as he stepped outside into the crisp fall weather. The light of fading sunshine hit his face briefly before the sun slipped down below the horizon. His footsteps tapped softly on the pavement as he made his way home after another boring day of high school. Well, it wasn't boring for him. Being the school's resident nerd, or 'smart-ass' as most preferred to call him, meant school wasn't as lame for him as it was for some people. Especially not when you go to the same school as the boy you've had a crush on for three years. Keith sighed, stuffing a small key in a door handle before pushing open the door to his small apartment. It wasn't much, but it had a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and a decent living room. He sat down his deep red backpack and turned on the news, like he always did. Just as he was about to flop on the couch, however, a startling story came blaring across the screen. 

"Just moments ago, Voltron High School's own Lance McClain was seen being chased down the streets of Downtown. Our cameras lost sight of him on the corner of 5th and Bell. If you see him please report your sighting to-" Keith shut the TV off, pulling his red hoodie off and pulling a mask over his face, tucking in his longer hair. He opened the window and sprang out, his eyes set on finding Lance before anyone could harm him. 

He found him soon enough, cornered atop a very tall building. Just as he was about to tumble backwards over the edge, the masked figure that was Keith swooped in, proceeding to scare the two criminals off. They didn't leave unharmed, though, as Keith had left a lovely black eye on each of their faces. He turned to Lance. 

"La- uh, are you alright?" He asked, catching himself. He couldn't let on that he knew Lance. 

"Woah... you're-"

"Yeah, its me. The famous Spiderman," Keith said, trying to sound casual. 

"Wow..." He paused. "Oh, and i'm alright, thanks to you. Though the height of this building is making me a little queasy, if i'm being honest," Lance said, giving a sheepish smile. Keith was thankful for his mask in that moment, because he was blushing furiously. Why was he so damn cute?! Keith walked over to him.

"Hold on tight," He said. Lance didn't waste a second wrapping his arms around Keith tightly, before Keith latched onto the top of the building with a web. He lightly skidded down the edge of the building, before softly depositing Lance on the ground behind the building. Keith hung upside down, hanging onto his web. 

"Thanks, Spidey-boy," Lance said. Keith blushed again. 

"N-no problem. You should probably head home soon. It's getting pretty late and I-" Keith was cut off mid sentence. Lance's hand slipped under Keith's mask, lifting it up slightly. He thought his cover had been blown, before realising that his mask had stopped being pulled up once it reached his nose. What happened in the next two seconds would then grow to feel like an eternity. Soft hands gripped Keith's half-masked face, and before he could say anything, warm, soft lips were pressed to his own. Keith froze. He didn't even feel the soft hands on his face brush over a piece of hair that had slipped out. He had barely begun to register what was happening before the warm lips were pulled off his own. Frozen, he barely felt Lance slipping his mask back on. 

"Don't worry. I'll get home safely," Lance said softly, beginning to turn away. "Thanks again, Spidey-boy," He said over his shoulder, before walking off. Keith hung there for a good five more minutes, too stunned to move. He had been kissed. By none other than Lance. Lance McClain. He barely made it home, the memory of what just happened burned into the inside of his skull. Little did he know that the first thing Lance had done when he'd gotten home was pull out every yearbook he had, his mind set on a wild mission. 

"Long, dark coloured hair, huh?" Lance said, eyes scanning the books for someone, anyone, that could be the boy. "I'll find him," Lance whispered to himself. "I'll find him, so I can tell him how much I love him."

Lance fell asleep late that night, his hand unknowingly resting on the small picture of the face of the shy school nerd, Keith Kogane.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My boys are so confused... and i love it.   
> ALSO in case some of you had a minor heart attack, yes this fic is on wattpad. I'm not remotely stealing it at all. Because i wrote it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heheheh... I felt kind of evil writing this chapter... and the second you see why, you're gonna hate me. Let me apologise in advance :)

Keith barely slept that night. His heart was too busy racing. The second he'd gotten home, he ripped his mask off, splashing cold water on his face from the bathroom sink. He could still feel Lance's unbelievably soft lips lingering on his. Dark eyes stared back at him in the mirror, blush still warming his cheeks. He barely registered anything as he got dressed for bed, lying down but not falling asleep for more than a few minutes before the memory resurfaced and his eyes shot open again. 

The next day at school, Keith pushed the memory down to try and focus on school. A test acted as a good distraction, and everything was going well. At least, that was until a certain dreamy-eyed, tan-skinned boy walked up behind Keith as the final bell rang. Keith closed his locker, turned, and ran straight into Lance's chest. Letting out an embarrassed squeak, he stumbled backwards, gripping the straps of his backpack for dear life. 

"L-Lance... heyyy..." Keith stuttered out, leaning on the lockers and acting 'casual'. Lance muffled a laugh under his hand. 

"You alright there, Keith?" He asked. 

"Y-yeah. I'm good," Keith managed to say. 

"I was wondering if you could help me with something," Lance said after a moment. 

"What is it?"

"How good are you at finding people based on very very little information?" Lance asked. Keith froze. He knew what he was asking about.

"I... pretty decent at it, I suppose. Why?" Keith asked, trying to sound calm. 

"I wanna find out who the city hero, Spiderman, really is, if i'm being honest. Besides, I kind of lik-" Lance stopped talking immediately, slapping a hand over his mouth. 

"Kind of what?" Keith asked quietly. 

"N-Nevermind that! It's not important! Anyways," He continued, composing himself. "If you're free later, you wanna come over and we can get started?" Lance asked. 

"Yeah, i'm free later," Keith said quietly. 

"Great! I'll text you my address. See you later, Mullet Boy!" Lance said, running off. It took Keith a full minute to realise he had just been invited to Lance's house. 

\---

Later that day, Keith arrived at Lance's house, just as planned. It was small, but certainly larger than Keith's apartment. In all of his shock, somehow he'd ended up on the floor of Lance's room, surrounded by yearbooks, printed photos, and crumpled up pieces of paper. 

"How long have you been working on this?" Keith asked. 

"Only since last night, but-"

"Last night? What happened last night?" Keith asked, even know he knew the answer very well. 

"N-nothing! Nothing happened! I just got a sudden interest, that's all!" Lance said, talking quite fast. Tension was thick in the air. "I... i'll be right back. You can turn on the TV or something," Lance said, before quietly getting up and locking himself in the bathroom. Keith didn't hesitate to turn on the news. Immediately the screen flashed to a car chase down the highway, and it only took a matter of seconds for Keith to slip out of Lance's house unnoticed. When Lance emerged from the bathroom a minute later, his eyes tinged with red, there was no trace of Keith except a small scrap of paper left on an open yearbook. Lance read it out loud. 

"Lance, sorry I left without telling you. My cousin called and she's got a busted tire and three kids, so I headed to help her out. I'll come back if I can. Keith," He read. He set the note back down on the yearbook and sighed, turning to the TV. It was left on the live news feed, now showing Spiderman stopping a runaway vehicle. Something moved by the back of his head, and Lance paused the TV. Grabbing his phone, he used the camera to zoom in before realising what he was seeing. It was hair. Only a small tuft of it, but hair nonetheless. It was dark, almost black, and it appeared to be longer than usual for a boy. Lance's eyes fell to the open yearbook. The first picture his eyes landed on was Keith's. His eyes flicked back to the TV, then back to Keith's photo. 

"It's not possible... is it?" Lance asked himself quietly. He unpaused the TV, looking for anything that could prove he was right. He looked closely, seeing the masked boy take out a phone to take a photo with a young boy. The phone looked nice and new. It was then that Lance remembered that Keith had a practically ancient phone, that barely worked on a good day. He sighed again. He was so sure that the hair he'd seen belonged to Keith! He flopped on his bed, before getting an idea. He quickly grabbed his phone, punching in a number. 

"Come on... pick up!" He whispered. The call connected on the fourth ring. 

"I swear to all that is holy, Lance, if this isn't important then i'm gonna strangle you with your own limbs after I slice them off!" A voice screeched over the phone. 

"Chill, Pidge. It's important," Lance said. "How good are you at tracking phones?" Lance asked. 

"Phones?" They scoffed. "That's probably the easiest thing I know how to do! Why? What do you need me to do?" They asked. 

"Tomorrow at school i'm gonna slip Keith's phone when he's not looking. If you could find some way to track it, i'd really appreciate it," Lance said. 

"Fine. But if it turns out this isn't as important as you're making it sound, my threat still stands."

"Got it, Pidgeon. Thanks," Lance said, before hanging up and promptly passing out. 

\---

The next day, Lance set his plan into action. Keith always disappeared from lunch for a good ten minutes, and never remembered his bag. Naturally with Lance being Lance, he took the whole thing and sat down with Pidge. 

"Well? Get the damn phone! I have other things to hack today!" They said. 

"Alright, i'm going!" Lance said. Keith's bag was incredibly neat, so finding the phone was easy enough. Lance set it on the table before going to zip up the pocket. He had it halfway zipped when something shiny inside caught his eye. Opening the pocket again, his eyes went wide at what he saw. A sleek silver phone, that was clearly not Keith's usual phone, sat in the pocket. Lance carefully picked it up, before turning it on. Generic lock screen, no security, generic wallpaper. It looked brand new. Lance gently pressed the camera roll button, before gasping. The first picture was the one he'd witnessed being taken over live TV, showing a small boy's smiling face along with the ever-familiar masked figure. Just as Lance opened his mouth to tell Pidge, a shadow fell over his hand. 

"Lance, why do you have my bag?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SORRY IM SORRY IM SORRY IM BEING A LIL SHIT I KNOW!!! Fair warning, next chapter is gonna be pretty angsty but i promise there will be fluff and good stuff soon. IDK when, but soon!


	3. ill work out real chapter titles soon i promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith is a smart lil shit, Lance needs his ass saved again, and I scream at the fact that these two are so hopeless... enjoy my beans!

Keith looked at Lance with a look in his eyes that could only be described as pure terror. Neither of them said anything, before Keith swiped his bag from the table and the phones from Lance and ran off. Lance stood and followed him, but he lost him all too quickly. That was until he remembered the tracker that Pidge had just put on Keith's phone. The little red dot that represented Keith appeared to be tucked in an alley not far from school. Lance ran, following the path to him until his little blue dot was right in front of Keith's. Looking up from his phone, Lance saw Keith sitting on an old fire escape. His back was pressed against the brick wall behind him and his face was buried in his knees, his bag cast aside. Lance was unsure if Keith was okay or not, until he heard it. Faint, muffled sniffles coming from the smaller boy. 

"Keith!" Lance rushed over to him "Man, I... i'm so sorry, I just-" 

"I don't like people looking at my drawings," Keith said quietly, cutting off Lance's apology.

"What do you mean?" Lance asked softly. Keith pulled out the sleeker phone, pulling up the photo that Lance had seen. 

"I like to draw what I think the people that Spiderman takes pictures with look like. It's an old habit. I'm almost always watching the news, and when I saw the photo being taken on the news yesterday I started drawing," Keith explained. 

"Ah, that's- wait, weren't you helping your cousin?" Lance questioned. 

"Yeah. We pushed her car back to her house since she'd barely gotten around the corner and I fixed it there. She keeps the news on too. It's almost like a family trait," Keith said with a small chuckle. Peeking at the photo, Lance did realise it looked like a drawing and not a photo. A very well done drawing, but a drawing nonetheless. 

"Oh. Well, i'm still sorry I took your stuff."

"It's alright. I'm gonna head inside now though, I don't really feel like going back to school," Keith said, grabbing his bag. 

"Inside?" Lance questioned. 

"This is my apartment building," Keith explained, beginning to climb up the fire escape.

"That makes sense. Well, i'll see you later, I guess," Lance said. 

"Yeah," Keith said, before slipping into the window of his apartment. He dropped his bag and leaned on the wall. "That was close," He whispered to himself, peeking at the picture. Thank god he'd remembered to put the hand-drawn filter on it like he always did. He'd have to put a password on that phone. Once again, though, he didn't even have time to sit down before he heard commotion outside. He went to the window to listen. 

"Woah, guys, I think you've got the wrong guy here..." that was Lance. He sounded worried. 

"Nah, you'll do. Now empty your pockets or pay the price!" An unknown voice said. Keith didn't hesitate pulling his hoodie off and his mask on, making sure his hair was completely tucked in this time. He silently jumped to the opposing rooftop, so if Lance saw him come down he wouldn't think it was Keith. He assessed the situation from above. Three guys, who Keith recognised as the school bullies, had Lance cornered. Keith wouldn't have been as concerned, but one of them pulled out a switchblade and Keith lost it. He jumped down smoothly, landing in between Lance and the three boys. 

"Hey, what's going on here? I don't know about you, but I don't recall switchblades being used in a traditional friendly greeting," Keith said. He liked how having the mask on made him feel. He sounded totally different, mostly because he was so much more confident. In an instant, the three boys scattered. Lance was still in shock, but he managed to calm down a little bit more. Keith turned around. 

"You alright?" Keith asked. 

"Y-yeah. I'm alright. Thanks for saving my ass. Again," He said with a chuckle. Keith didn't miss the faint blush on his cheeks. 

"No need to thank me. I'm just doing my job," Keith said, preparing to return to the rooftop. "Make sure you get home safe," He said, pushing off the ground. Just as his feet left the ground, a hand caught his wrist. 

"Wait!" Lance said, a desperate look on his face and hope in his eyes.

"Who are you? Behind the mask?" Lance asked. Keith smiled under his mask. Keith briefly squeezed Lance's wrist in a kind response. 

"That's for me to know and for you to find out... someday," He said with a chuckle. 

"Oh. Alright. Well, I hope I find out soon." Lance let him go, looking slightly crestfallen. Keith was gone in a flash, but not without calling back something he would have been too embarrassed to ever say without a mask on. 

"See ya around, Pretty Boy!" Keith called. He heard the faint confused screech from the rooftop. But what he heard next had him slyly looking over the rooftop's edge.

"He... he called me Pretty Boy," Lance said, gently touching the hand he'd grabbed Keith with, fingers grazing over the spot where Keith's hand had just been. "God," Keith heard. "Could anyone be more hopelessly in love?" Lance said, sounding sad. Keith was frozen as Lance walked away. Keith quietly made his way back inside his apartment, pulling his mask off and burying his face in his hands. 

"Don't worry, Lance," Keith whispered to himself. "You aren't the only one who's hopelessly in love."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is probably gonna be a bit longer, somewhat angsty, but I promise it'll also be really fluffy. I feel the need to make up for it after this chapter and chapter 2. See ya in the next chapter. Remember, comments are always appreciated, and kudos too! Luv ya my beans!


	4. what even are titles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My boys... experience the feels... all the feels.... SO MANY GODDAMN FEELS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... hi. Y'all probably have mixed feelings after that last chapter, and that's only to be expected. To describe this chapter: Fluffy, Angsty, Beautiful, ...Painful? It will be very feelsy, and as I told my friend , "it's gonna kill you, make you overly happy, possibly make you cry, and be the most feels-filled chapter so far."
> 
>  
> 
> Well have fun with that. Love ya my beans!

The next day at school was relatively uneventful. Keith got through all his classes relatively easily, and packed up to leave right as the bell rang. Someone tapped him on the shoulder, causing him to jump. 

"Sorry." It was Lance. "I was just wondering if you, you know, wanted to walk home together? Your apartment is on the way to my house, so...?" He trailed off. 

"Yeah, that'd be nice," Keith said quietly. 

"Great!" Lance said, beaming. God, his smile, Keith thought. They were some of the first ones out of the school, walking home quietly. Keith reached into his pocket for something, but was startled when he couldn't find it. 

"Where is it..." He muttered. 

"Whatcha lookin for, Keith?" Lance asked. He opened his mouth to explain when suddenly all of the school alarms sounded. The two boys turned around, to not see anything, but hear one of the scariest sounds they'd ever heard. Gunshots. They panicked, but Keith knew what had to be done. 

"Lance, get out of here. I have to get in there and grab something, you go," Keith said in a panic. 

"Are you crazy? You're not going in there!" Lance said. Keith shoved him forcefully. 

"Get out of here! Get to my apartment. You remember where it is, right? Take the fire escape. My window is always unlocked. It's the one on the left of the top floor. Go!" Keith said. 

"Not without you! Forget what's inside! Let's go!"

"You don't understand, I need what's in there!" Keith said. "Please, i'm begging you. Go, Lance," Keith said, running towards the school. Lance lingered, before running to Keith's apartment. He hopped in the window, and after falling clumsily, he took a minute to look around. It was pretty generic, but red seemed to be the main colour. The TV was left on, and it was on the news. Lance wasn't surprised. What did shock him was the lack of personal touches in the apartment. In Lance's house, he had photos of his family, friends, and mementos from his childhood. Keith had none of that. Lance looked around a bit more, before hearing the name of his school mentioned on the TV. He watched the news feed intently, wondering where Keith was. He should have been out by now. All of a sudden, a flash of red and blue appeared on the screen. Spiderman, coming in to save the day, Lance thought. He hadn't realised how long he'd been watching the feed until he saw it was dark outside, and Keith still wasn't home. He was worried, but hoped he'd see something on the feed. Instead, he saw an interview of Spiderman, who looked a little beat up. Correction, more than a little. His shoulder had been grazed by a bullet, his suit torn and covered in blood. The interview ended quickly, and Spiderman shot off into the distance. Lance was just turning off the TV as something came crashing through the window. Lance jumped at the noise and held the TV remote out in front of him, his eyes squeezed shut. 

"Lance?" A voice asked quietly. He knew that voice. He opened his eyes. 

"Kei-" Lance started, but stopped the second he saw the figure before him. Spiderman, bloody and weak, stood before him, swaying slightly on his feet. He held his mask in one of his hands, and his suit was pooled at his feet, revealing dark jeans and a bloodstained grey shirt. Lance looked up at the boy's face. Except once his eyes locked with the boy in front of him, he thought he might die. Before him was the face of none other than Keith Kogane. He was paler than usual, and sweat dotted his forehead. His mullet-like hair was matted down with sweat, and the only thing to be seen in his dark, almost purple eyes was pain. 

"L-Lance?" Keith asked again. The pain in his voice was evident now. 

The mask slipped from his hands and hit the floor quietly. 

"Keith?" Lance asked quietly, slowly walking over. "You're... you-"

"Yes. It's me," He said quietly. Lance was still walking towards him, his face unreadable. Suddenly, Lance pulled him into a tight hug. Keith hissed in pain, and Lance let go immediately. 

"What's wrong?" He asked. 

"Shoulder. I, uh, I got shot," Keith said. He gestured to his left shoulder. "I mean, it just grazed it, but-"

"Let me patch it up," Lance blurted out. 

"Huh?"

"I'm not a total idiot. And I have 3 younger siblings. I know how to fix it. Do you have a first aid kit?"

"Under the sink," Keith said. He sat down on the couch, rubbing his temples with his right hand. When he looked up again, Lance had pulled up a chair and had set everything he needed beside him. Their eyes met for a second, before both of them looked away sheepishly. 

"You, uh, I can't patch it up with your shirt on," Lance said, hoping the blush on his cheeks wasn't as obvious as it felt to him. 

"Okay," Keith said after a moment. When Lance looked back, Keith had taken his shirt off and set it beside him. His hands were clenched in fists in his lap, and his head was down. Lance could barely rip his eyes away to find a towel. He gently set the warm cloth on Keith's shoulder, and Keith flinched in pain. 

"Sorry," He said quickly. 

"It's alright. Just... keep talking. It distracts me from the pain," Keith said. 

"Okay... uhh, so, you're Spiderman, huh?"

"Yeah. It's me. Shocked, aren't you?"

"Not really," Lance said. Keith looked at him with disbelief on his face.

"Why? I'm the last person anyone else would think could be the city hero," Keith said. 

"Don't you put yourself down like that!" Lance told him, quietly but firmly. Keith's eyes met his. "You don't have to be strong to be a hero. The kindness you show proves you're the best person for the job," Lance told him. Keith smiled and looked down as Lance began bandaging the now clean wound. They sat in silence for a while, before Lance asked another question. 

"So why didn't you tell me when I found your phone yesterday?" He asked. Keith tensed. 

"I didn't ever plan on telling anyone."

"Why not?"

"Because I didn't, okay?" Keith said harshly. 

"I... I'm your friend, Keith. You could have told me!" Lance tossed back. He was done bandaging Keith's wound, so he placed his hands on his hips, standing angrily. 

"You wanna know why I didn't want to tell anyone?" Keith said, standing as well. "Because the last two people I told are dead, that's why!" Keith shouted. Lance gasped, covering his hands with his mouth as he watched the tears pool in Keith's eyes. Keith choked out a sob, burying his face in his hands. Lance rushed over, setting one hand on his arm and the other on his uninjured shoulder. 

"I'm sorry. God, i'm so sorry, Keith," Lance said. Keith began to sit back down, and Lance followed, not letting Keith go. 

"It was three years ago. My parents kept wondering where I was vanishing to almost every night, so I told them. One of them must have let it slip, because two weeks later I walked home to find them both dead at the kitchen counter," Keith said, his voice numb with pain. "That's why I don't have any photos on the wall of them. Just... just the one I keep in my pocket," He said. Suddenly, it hit Lance in the face like a truck. Why Keith had needed to get to the school so desperately. "I left the picture in my locker after gym on accident today. I couldn't lose it," He said. "And I-" He cut off, sniffling. "I don't want to lose anyone else either," He said quietly. The next thing he knew was Lance crushing him in a hug. 

"You won't lose anyone ever again. I promise. Not as long as i'm here," Lance said, quietly but with such determination that Keith couldn't help but smile, before burying his face in Lance's chest and crying again. Keith knew he was clinging onto Lance's shirt way too much and soaking it with tears, but Lance only held him tighter. They stayed there for a while, before Lance spoke again. 

"You mind if I stay the night? It's really late and firstly, I hate walking home at night and second, you seem a little shaken up," Lance said, finally releasing Keith. 

"That's alright with me," Keith said. "You can take the bed and-"

"No way, mister hot-shot-hero-who-just-got-shot. I'll take the couch," Lance said, with a smile. 

"If you're sure..." Keith started. 

"I am," Lance said. He was about to say more, before he realised that Keith had fallen asleep, leaning against him. Lance chuckled quietly, before scooping Keith up and walking slowly to deposit him gently in his bed. Lance pulled the covers up to his chin, and before walking out to the living room and closing the door, he turned back to the sound-asleep Keith. 

"Sleep tight, Spidey-Boy," Lance said, before pressing a quick kiss to Keith's forehead. He walked out, closing the door. 

Keith smiled just a little bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I sincerely hope this made up for some of the past chapters. I know chapter 5 will. Heheheheheheh......


	5. These are the chapter titles. Deal with it.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OOOOOH MY GOOOOOD THE FLUFF IN THIS CHAPTER. This is tooth rotting fluff. I'm not gonna lie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look! Chapter 5! I'll tell you no, this is one fluffy chapter, and if you are at all like me you'll be screaming the entire time. I hope you like it as much as chapter 4 my beans! 
> 
> ****fixed some god-awful spelling errors I missed but that's what you get when you are typing blindly when you're supposed to be watching a movie in class. Spelling errors****

Keith woke up, his shoulder mildly throbbing and his head swimming. The memories of last night came flooding back, and Keith touched a hand to his forehead. He was about to stand when he heard something from the kitchen. He stood quickly, saying slightly on his feet. He pushed open his bedroom door and instead of finding a nightmare in the kitchen like he'd expected, he found Lance standing at the stove, quietly humming while cooking something.

"Lance? What are you doing?" Keith asked, his voice still sleepy. Lance turned to look at him, and he smiled brightly. Had Keith been even just a little more awake, he might have been able to cover the blush on his cheeks. 

"I'm making breakfast, silly," Lance said. "I hope you like pancakes," He said. 

"I love pancakes," Keith said quietly. Lance smiled even brighter, handing him a plate and a fork. Keith took a bite, before finishing the plate in a matter of minutes without speaking. 

"Someone was hungry," Lance said with a laugh, quietly munching n his own breakfast.

"Thanks," Keith said, blushing and turning away. 

"Not a problem. How's your shoulder?" Lance asked. 

"A little sore, but not bad. Wait," Keith said, his eyes landing on the clock. "It's Friday. We have school! And we're three hours late!" He stood up and tried to bolt to his bedroom to get dressed, but his sleep-ridden feet got hooked on the kitchen table's leg and he went down. Keith flinched and shut his eyes, preparing to smack into the ground, but it never came. When he opened his eyes again, he realised his face was mere centimeters from Lances. Time froze, as the two boys realised the situation. Both boys were on their knees, and Lance held the fallen Keith close in his arms. Keith was holding on equally tight, his arms wrapped around Lance's neck. Keith could see the endless oceans of blue that were Lance's eyes, and Lance noticed the small freckles that dotted Keith's nose. Their eyes were locked, and for a moment, they were so quiet that the only sound was their breathing. Then they both realised the situation. Keith flung himself backwards, and Lance screeched, releasing Keith and flying back into the wall. 

"T-there's no school today. It's c-closed because of last n-night," Lance stuttered quietly. 

"Oh, o-okay," Keith replied. The two boys remained where they were on the floor for a while, sitting on opposite sides of the small kitchen. Keith stood first. 

"I-i'm gonna get dressed," He said, quickly rushing into his room and closing the door. Lance stood and immediately rushed to the bathroom. Both boys leaned on the doors behind them, eyes wide and cheeks red. Keith got dressed, trying to slow down his heart that was beating faster than ever. Lance splashed water on his face, also trying to slow his racing heart. 

"God, I wanna kiss him," Lance whispered quietly to himself. Little did he know, Keith said the same thing on the other side of the wall. 

\---

The two boys spent the day mostly hanging out and watching TV, but Lance had other plans for that evening. 

"Let's go see a movie or something. I don't know about you but if I see one more rerun of an episode of Supergirl i'm gonna strangle myself," Lance said. Keith chuckled slightly. 

"Well, I guess we could see what's there," Keith said. Both boys threw on their jackets and got ready to leave. Lance's was a dark green, and Keith's a bold red. They both had accents of yellow, but were completely different in style. They headed out the door, making the short walk to Downtown. After browsing (and arguing) over movie choices, the both settled on the latest Disney movie. 

"That was a good movie," Keith said as the two walked out of the theatre a few hours later. 

"It was. Emotional as ever, but its a Disney movie. I'd be concerned if it wasn't emotional!" Lance said with a laugh. Keith couldn't help but smile. 

"Hey, let's grab some dinner while we're out!" Lance said, pointing at a building across the street. The name read Old Spaghetti Factory. Keith looked at the building in confusion. 

"Oh don't tell me you've never been to Spaghetti Factory!" Lance said. 

"I can't say I have," Keith responded. 

"Then let's go!" Lance said, dragging Keith across the street as the light changed. They walked into the restaurant, and were seated immediately. Keith gawked at the menu.

"I didn't know that a place could serve this much pasta!" He said. 

"I know, right? The mizithra is my favourite, but everything is good here," Lance said, just as a waiter came up to take their order. 

Keith decided to get the mizithra. 

\---

They walked home later that night, completely stuffed with pasta. 

"That was really good!" Keith said, collapsing on the couch back at his apartment. 

"Agreed!" Lance dropped beside him. They sat in silence for a moment, before Keith sat up and broke the silence. 

"So, um, the other day when you asked me to help you identify Spiderman..." Keith began. 

"Yeah?" Lance asked, sitting up as well. 

"You were about to say something, but you cut yourself off. What were you going to say?" Keith asked, his eyes meeting Lance's. Lance closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes again, they were filled with emotion and absolute certainty. 

"I was going to tell you this," He said softly, slipping a hand into Keith's hair and pulling his face in. Lance softly pressed his lips to Keith's, and Keith froze. Lance was about to pull away, fearing he'd made a mistake, but then Keith was kissing him back. They stayed there a moment longer, before pulling away to breathe. They didn't dare move more than a few inches though, their foreheads touching and eyes locked. 

"It felt embarrassing at the time to say I was in love with someone who I didn't really know, but I guess I did know, didn't I?" Lance said quietly. 

"It doesn't seem strange to me," Keith responded. "And honestly, i'm glad," Keith said, smiling. 

"Explain," Lance said.

"Don't you see it?" Keith said, almost desperate. He grabbed Lance's face and pressed their lips firmly together once more. "I love you too," Keith said once they broke apart. Lance smiled. 

"Thank God," Lance said. "Because all i've wanted to do since the first day I saw you is this," Lance said, pulling Keith in for another kiss. 

And another. 

And another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GOD I WAS SCREAMING WRITING THIS CHAPTER AWEHFGUWGIH. I hope you guys loved it! Here's some VERY VAGUE plans for this story:
> 
> The rest of the Voltron crew introduced in 7
> 
> Cliffhanger in 9
> 
> New-ISH character in 10 (not really if you read the tags or can see where this is going)
> 
> Something bad (I'M SORRY) in 12 or 13
> 
> Coran the gorgeous man will make his debut in chap 18
> 
> I have planned for 25 chapters, and possibly a sequel in the future. I hope you guys enjoy! And remember, IF THERE'S ANYTHING YOU'D LIKE TO SEE IN FUTURE CHAPTERS, FEEL FREE TO COMMENT IT! I ALMOST ALWAYS INCLUDE SUGGESTIONS! 
> 
> Thanks for everythin you guys! See ya next time my beans!


	6. back at it again with the great chapter titles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back at it again with my boys being precious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey my beans! Firstly... IM SORRY FOR THE UPDATE SCHEDULE THAT DOESNT EXIST AFTER CHAPTER SEVEN anyways... Hope you loved the last chapter as much as I did! (if you couldn't tell I was hungry while writing it lol). Anyways, this chapter is probably gonna be pretty cute, and maybe kind of just a filler chapter? IDK. I'll try to make it good. And maybe (M A Y B E) hint to the new character in chapter 10! Enjoy my beans!
> 
> ALSO i'd like to dedicate this chapter to the fabulous shiros_eyeliner on instagram because they be amazing. Like seriously. Go follow. I WILL FIND YOU IF YA DON'T jk but seriously. Actual ball of awesome right there.

When Keith woke up, he was smiling. Heck, he hadn't even stopped smiling to sleep. In all of the past three years, nobody had even bothered to do so much as say hello. No friendly smiles, nobody asking how he was doing, yet here he was, lying next to a boy who had helped him, supported him, and most of all loved him. Lance looked almost comically adorable in his sleep, his face calm and lips parted slightly. Suddenly, he opened his eyes, and it took less than a second for Keith to get lost in them. 

"Hey," Lance said, his voice still heavy with sleep. Keith about died. 

"hey," Keith said back. 

"So, ya wanna do anything today?" Lance asked, as the two boys sat up. 

"Do you have anything in mind?"

"It's supposed to be relatively warm out, do you wanna go swimming?" Lance asked. Keith froze. "What's wrong?"

"I-I'd love to... but I... I can't swim," Keith said quietly. 

"Well then let's get a move on! I've gotta teach you how to swim!" Lance said, pulling him up by his wrist. 

"Oh god i'm gonna embarrass myself in a public pool!" Keith said, letting himself get pulled to his feet. 

"Don't worry. We can go to the pool at my house!" Lance said, smiling as the two got dressed. They walked the short distance to Lance's house, and soon Keith found himself at the foot of the pool, the crystal clear water sparkling in the sun. Beside him, Lance jumped in excitedly, splashing Keith. The water was pleasantly warm, but Keith still shivered. 

"Hey, you alright? Keith?" Lance said. Keith nodded. 

"I'm just a little nervous," Keith said. Lance pushed up on the pool deck with one hand and grabbed Keith's hand with the other. 

"You'll be alright. And if anything happens, i've got you," Lance said. And as Keith looked at him, he looked so genuine that Keith almost melted. 

"Okay, I can do this," Keith said, stepping his foot down on the first step of the pool. The water rippled around his ankles, and Lance moved to grab his other hand. He slowly made his way to the second step, water now coming up almost to his waist. 

"One more step. Think you can do it?"

"Y-Yeah. I got this," Keith said, stepping down slowly. His foot hit the bottom of the pool, and soon water came up to his chest. He realised he was clinging onto Lance for dear life, and Lance seemed perfectly okay with it. 

"Alright, let's try floating first," Lance said, turning Keith around. 

"How do I do that?"

"Just lie on your back and put your arms out," He said. Keith tensed. "Don't worry, I've got your head," Lance said. Keith slowly leaned back, almost falling. He let out a small screech, before Lance caught his head. Lance hovered above him, mere inches away from his face. Keith got lost in his eyes again, before Lance's voice snapped him out of it again. 

"You wanna try kicking your feet?" Lance asked. 

"S-Sure," Keith said. 

"Don't worry. I won't let go," Lance said. 

Keith immediately started kicking. His head bumped into Lance, who merely laughed and walked backwards so he could keep holding his head. Keith was actually enjoying himself, before Lance spoke again. 

"Keith, we're in the deep end. I think you've got kicking handled, so the next step is actually going under the water, okay?" Lance asked. Keith nodded shakily. Suddenly, Lance had turned him around, and he now held Keith in his arms. They both floated, Lance kicking to keep the both of them up. 

"So, uh, how do I do this?" Keith asked. 

"Take a deep breath, and don't let it out. You can't breathe the water, you'll drown. Oh, and water will get in your nose, but its alright as long as you don't breathe it in," Lance said. "You ready?" He asked. Keith nodded. "Okay, on three."

"Okay."

"One," Lance started. "Two." Keith took a deep breath. "Three," Lance said, quickly pulling him under. Keith held his breath, slowly opening his eyes. Lance's blue eyes glowed under the water, and his short hair floated around his face. Still holding Keith with one arm, Lance brushed a piece of Keith's hair behind his ear. Keith, in shock, did the last thing he was supposed to do. 

He gasped. 

Water filled his lungs, before he was pulled out of the water, coughing. Lance held him until he'd emptied his lungs of the water. 

"I- Oh my god, i'm so sorry Keith! I wasn't thinking, that was bad, I-"

"Lance," Keith cut him off. 

"Y-Yeah?"

"It's alright," Keith said with a small smile. "I want to try again."

"Alright, let's do this!" Lance said. "One, two, three!" They went under again. Keith opened his eyes, and smiled at Lance, who returned the smile. He was only holding Keith loosely by one wrist now, but as his long fingers brushed over Keith's hand, Keith lost all control. 

He placed his free hand on Lance's neck and pulled him into a kiss. 

Lance didn't even freeze. His grip on Keith's wrist tightened as he slipped his own free hand into Keith's hair, his fingers tangling in the floating strands. And there they stayed, until both of them were dying for air. They came up together, only breaking apart enough to breathe, water dripping down on their faces. Blush glowed on both of their cheeks, and it lingered as they slowly made their way out of the pool.

A storm had blown in during their kiss, and a chilly breeze nipped at the air. Once inside and dry, Keith pulled his jacket on while Lance slipped on a hoodie. Its pattern, mostly red with black accents, seemed vaguely familiar to Keith, but he couldn't place why. He was just about to ask Lance about it when Lance's phone buzzed. 

"Pidge invited us to a sleepover at their place with some friends. You up for it?" Lance asked. 

"Sure, why not," Keith said. 

"Oh, and you can just borrow some of my stuff since Pidge's house is in the opposite direction of your apartment," He said, grabbing some extra clothes and stuffing them in a bag. "Oh, and here," Lance said while tossing something at Keith. "You'll freeze with that wet hair of yours." Keith took one look at the jacket and had to fight to keep his heart beating normally. It was Lance's signature deep green jacket. He slipped it on over his own jacket, realising just how much it smelled like Lance as he pulled the hood over his damp hair. They walked to the door, before Lance stopped. 

"What's up? Did you forge-" Keith was cut off as Lance grabbed the sides of the hood and pulled Keith's face in for a kiss. His eyes lingered on Keith for a second after they broke, before turning back to the door. 

"Just forgot to do that," Lance said, smiling. "Let's go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I liked this chapter a lot more than I thought I would. It was fun. And I swear IF ANY OF YOU CAUGHT THE CHAP. 10 HINT DON'T SPOIL IT FOR ANYONE!! I threw it in there as a teaser, and if you didn't see it you will find out. Don't worry. But if you did catch it, please keep it a secret until chapter 10. 
> 
> See you in the next chapter my beans!


	7. WhAt Is My LiFe AnYmOrE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge is a gremlin confirmed, Lance references a movie that should never exist, and shit happens. Wow. Did I actually write a summary?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1: I really don't feel like doing school work
> 
> 2: I'm stuck at home with laryngitis and a cold
> 
> I guess i'm just feeling generous today, or I just don't feel like doing anything else whatsoever. Anyways, here's chapter 7! This is gonna be fluffy AF, because chapters 8 and 9... not so much.

The two boys soon found themselves standing at the door to the Holt household. Lance rang the bell, and less than three seconds later the door was flung open. 

"Good! You're here! Now get your asses in here so I can crush you at Mario Kart!" Pidge said. They may be incredibly small, but they sure did have a frightening demeanor. Lance laughed and smiled at Keith, who couldn't help but blush as they walked in. Pidge had a nice place, with a decently sized kitchen, and living room perfect for holding all the people who would be there that night. Keith recognised Hunk and Shiro, two of Lance's friends, but not the other person in the house. She had gorgeous silver-white hair and ocean blue eyes that contrasted her dark skin. 

"Alright!" Pidge screeched. "Most of us know the drill by now. Winner of the officially-unofficial Mario Kart tournament picks the first movie. Oh, and Shiro, Allura, hold off on the make out sessions until we're asleep this time, would you?" Pidge added blatantly. Keith assumed the girl was Allura, as she blushed furiously. "Now, Matt's dropping off pizza in about three hours, so let's try to be done by then. You all know what happens when my food is cold!" They said, grabbing controllers for everyone. 

"What happens?" Keith whispered to Lance. 

"Let's just say we all about lost a limb last time," Lance replied with a chuckle. Keith, who was now mildly afraid, followed Lance to sit on the couch. Everyone else was seated, already picking out their characters. The only available seat was the corner, which meant he'd be squished between Lance and Pidge. He shrugged, jumping onto the couch and grabbing his controller. 

"Dibs on Princess Peach!" Keith cried. 

"Dibs on Mario!" Lance screamed.

"Aww, come on Lance, you always pick Mario!" Hunk complained. 

"Deal with it!" Lance retorted. 

"Stop bickering. Yoshi's gonna kick your ass, Lance," Pidge said. Lance rolled his eyes, before they all lined up at the starting line. 

\---

"How on earth did I lose to Princess motherfucking Peach?!" Pidge screamed as the final lap of the last game ended two and a half hours later. 

"Because i'm awesome at this game, and you chose Yoshi, Pidge. Yoshi," Keith said. 

"Pidge, you owe me ten," Lance said. Pidge huffed, stuffing a ten dollar bill in Lance's open palm. 

"What the...?" Keith began. 

"Oh. We placed bets on who would win. I bet on you," Lance said. Keith felt his heart skip a beat. Lance must have noticed, because he pulled Keith into a hug. When they pulled apart, Pidge was staring.

"What?" The two boys said simultaneously. 

"Nothing, nothing," Pidge said, getting up as the doorbell rang. "Pizza's Here!!!" They proceeded to scream, opening the door for Matt. Pidge's older brother carried in five boxes of pizza, and dumped them on the kitchen counter. 

"Next time, i'm making you pay for that," Matt said, ruffling Pidge's hair and preparing to leave. 

"Don't touch my hair! And I will, I will, I promise!"

"Good. Bye gremlin," Matt said as he left. Keith didn't fail to notice Pidge's fingers crossed behind their back. 

"Okay!" They said, turning to Keith. "I guess you get to pick the movie, mister winner. Whatcha wanna watch?"

"What do you have?" Keith asked. Pidge broke down with laughter. 

"Dude, I get we don't hang out all that much, but really. Give me a shitty internet connection and any form electronic device with a screen and I can have anything in the world up in a matter of minutes," Pidge said once they'd recovered. 

"Umm... how does-"

"The Bee Movie sound? Great! Okay!" Lance cut Keith off. Both Pidge and Keith glared at him. 

"Anyways, I was going to say how does *Hurricane Bianca sound, but-"

"YES I FREAKING LOVE THAT MOVIE!!!" Hunk screamed from the other room, cutting Keith off yet again. Apparently the rest of the group found that agreeable, so everyone agreed to change into their pajamas and watch the movie before falling asleep. Somehow in everyone's attempt to get comfortable, Keith and Lance had ended up on Pidge's unrealistically comfortable rug, leaning on the couch. Halfway through the movie, everyone else had fallen asleep. Keith was getting sleepy as well, and Lance appeared to be in the process of falling asleep.

His head fell softly on Keith's shoulder. 

Lance lightly slipped an arm around Keith's waist, so in return Keith slipped his arm around Lance's shoulder, pulling him closer. 

"Keith, you should get some sleep..." Lance muttered into Keith's shoulder. Keith was wearing one of Lance's shirts, so that coupled with the boy in question at his side caused the air around him to smell completely of Lance. Keith found his head slipping to the side as well, landing softly on Lance's. He pressed a kiss to Lance's hair. 

"Night, Lance..." Keith trailed off, finally slipping into sleep. 

Behind them, a phone camera clicked quietly. 

"Gotcha," Pidge said, happy with the recording they now had stored on their phone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHHHhhhhhhhHHHHHHHH This chapter was so fun to write! p.s. i literally spelled write wrong twice when typing that so if there's any other spelling errors i missed, please tell me. My sick eyes can't read right anymore. P.P.S. ANY SUGGESTIONS FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER? I REALLY NEED EM!
> 
> Anyways, i'll see you guys soon. And don't be afraid to comment or message me, I love love love talking to you guys and hearing your feedback. See you next time, my beans!
> 
> * So guys Hurricane Bianca is amazing and its on netflix go watch it I quiznaking love it. Some good shit right there.


	8. klangst and foreshadowing the musical

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance is a dick over a dream, Klangst, and foreshadowing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry but i really REALLY love writing angst. Not gonna try and lie there.  
> The next chapters (9-13 specifically) will be much longer. I had writer's block today but the only way to overcome it is to face it head on. See ya my beans!

The next day, Keith and Lance ended up back at Lance's house, watching yet another movie on the couch. Pidge had forcefully shoved them out the door in the morning after having what they called a 'PDA Attack', but neither of the boys bought it in the slightest. It was raining again, and the two were curled up on the couch. Lance had fallen asleep, leaning his head on Keith's shoulder. All of a sudden, however, his eyes popped open. 

"What is it?" Keith asked, immediately scared something was wrong. 

"Oh! Nothing! I'm alright, see?" Lance said, sitting up and looking Keith in the eye, before pressing a quick yet hesitant kiss to Keith's cheek. Keith smiled, before pulling Lance into a hug. Keith immediately knew something then. 

Lance was not alright.

Keith pulled away when Lance didn't hug back. "Lance, what's wrong? You can talk to me," Keith said, setting a hand on Lance's shoulder, but he shrugged it away. 

"It's nothing! Like I said before, i'm fine," Lance said, turning away from Keith. 

"Lance-"

"Don't you have a city to protect or something?" Lance interrupted. Keith's eyes shot open. He had been neglecting the news for a day or two, but nothing had seemed to feel remotely off in those days. But right now, Keith had no clue what was up with Lance. Why had his attitude shifted so suddenly? Was it him? 

Keith didn't stay long enough to figure it out. He was out the door before Lance could even tell him to wait. When he got back to his apartment, he blatantly tried to ignore the fact that he was still in Lance's too-big shirt and had tear tracks on his cheeks. 

\---

Lance buried his face in his hands on the couch, turning on the news. He knew he had snapped at Keith for nothing. But he also had just woken up from a dream that made him think there might just be a reason. In his dream, which he vividly remembered, Keith had been stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place. He could either save the whole city, or save Lance. Lance thought he was going to save him when Keith walked towards him, but that didn't happen.

Instead, Keith had helped kill him.

Lance knew he was being unreasonable when he had pushed Keith away earlier over a dream. But he couldn't shake the feeling something bad was going to happen in the future, where Keith may just be put in that situation. Lance shook the feeling off, instead picking up his phone. He had someone to apologise to.

\-----

Keith was flipping through channels when he got the phone call. After reading the caller ID, he picked up immediately.

"Lance?"

"I'm sorry," Lance said. Keith was shocked.

"What for?"

"For how I pushed you away earlier. I... I didn't mean what I said. I was just frustrated over a dumb dream."

"You... do you want to talk about it?" Keith asked. 

"Honestly? Not all that much. I'm trying to ignore it." Lance paused. "I'm assuming you're looking at the news right now," Lance finally said, just as Keithswitched the channel to the news. The past few days had been quiet. Too quiet. It was worrying him. 

"I can't stop worrying. I have a city to protect, Lance. I can't slack off and let people get hurt."

"I know I just told you that earlier, but really, don't worry! Everything is okay. Its kind of nice," Lance mused. Suddenly, an alert of a kidnapping blared on the news. 

"Lance, I... I gotta go. Someone's in trouble and-"

"Go," Lance said. "Good luck."

"Thanks," Keith said, before hanging up. 

Little did he know, Lance had been watching the report too. This job was too big, even for Spiderman, to handle alone. 

He ran to his room, jumping out his window and racing off into the rain a few minutes later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you know where this is going, i love you.


	9. "why?" the musical

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> shit happens. im sorry. or at least im pretending to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My only advice for you?
> 
> Have fun. 
> 
> *nervous laughter*

Keith stood atop a tall skyscraper, looking out at the city for any sign of the kidnapping he'd seen on TV. He was worried. Nothing looked out of place whatsoever. Then he saw it. The one thing out of place. A scuffed up white van. Jumping to the next building over to get a better look, his suspicions were confirmed. The windows were sloppily painted over, and the back door was locked with a padlock. At a stoplight, the door shook faintly, as if being pounded on. This was it. He followed the van until it turned into an alley, before dropping down in front of it. The driver stopped, looking anxiously at the man in the passenger seat. Keith tapped on the window, and waited for it to roll down slightly. 

"Y'all don't mind if I take a look in the back, do you? It's been a while since i've seen the inside of a shady white van driving in an alleyway," Keith said. The driver grunted. 

"Not a chance."

"Okay then. I guess we'll have to do this the hard way," Keith said as he jumped up and kicked the window in, glass shattering all over the driver. His buddy had begun reaching for something in the glove box, which Keith snatched immediately and pointed at the two men.

"How about now you let me have a look?" Keith asked. Shaking, one handed him the key. Walking around and unlocking the door, Keith had already speed-dialed 911 and quickly told them his location. Opening the doors, Keith found someone inside he wasn't expecting to find. Hands and feet bound, glasses cracked, and eyes flaming, was none other than Pidge. 

"Thank god! It was fucking stuffy in there! Hey assholes!" Pidge screamed at the two kidnappers as Keith helped them out of the van. "Get some fucking air conditioning!" 

"Are you alright?" Keith asked once he'd undone the last couple of ropes holding Pidge's arms behind their back. 

"Yeah, i'm okay. Thanks though," Pidge said. Just then, the police arrived, so Keith and Pidge were both pulled away to give all the information they could to the cops. Afterwards though, Pidge pulled Keith aside. 

"Is everything alright?" Keith asked. Pidge squinted at him. He knew his mask hid his physical identity, but not his voice. 

"Have we met? Like, when you're not all mr. badass? You sound kinda familiar," Pidge said. Keith knew he couldn't let them find out. Lance already knew. He couldn't have someone else knowing too. 

"I don't believe so."

"Oh. I could have sworn i've heard your voice around my school," They paused, fixing their glasses. "Thanks again," They said, before walking off to their brother, who'd come to pick them up. Keith left the scene but didn't go home, instead just waiting on top of a building. The sun had almost set, and criminal activity usually picked up at night. Keith had nothing to do outside of being a masked hero at the moment, so he had time to kill. Just as the sun slipped down below the horizon, Keith heard a sound behind him. Turning quickly, he saw a flash of a red and black mask, but upon investigation, nobody was to be seen. He decided to stay on top of the building to keep an eye on the city. 

He should have left. 

Not ten minutes later, he was suddenly pinned to the wall of the roof, a hand firmly pressing his face to the hard concrete wall. 

"Do you know how hard it was to get away from the police after earlier today? I almost thought we'd never get out revenge," A voice said. Keith panicked. It was the voice of the van driver from earlier. Keith kicked behind him, sending the man back a few steps so he could stand. 

"I suggest you get out of here before I call the cops again," Keith said. "After all, its that or a 40-story drop straight down to the street."

"You're the one at a disadvantage. Its two against one, Spider Boy. You're gonna lose," The other man said. Keith panicked once again when both men flipped out switchblades. Keith backed up, three small steps taking him to the edge of the wall. Thinking quickly, he faked left, before throwing a punch at the man on the right. They fell to the ground, and Keith kicked their blade away. The other man, the driver, wasn't so easy. He dodged Keith's punch, getting a kick in at Keith's side. He flinched, but threw another kick back at the man. This time he landed a hit, and the man staggered back. This time, the man threw a punch with his knife, which barely missed Keith's face. Keith knew he was in trouble at this point. He was just about to go for another kick, when hands were on his shoulders. The man had taken advantage of his kick preparation and shoved him hard. Keith stumbled back, heels both hitting the low wall. One more punch and he'd be through. That punch came. Keith flew over the wall, everything seeming to move in slow motion. Keith shot a web up, slowing his descent- until the man cut it, smiling atop the roof. 

Keith fell. He was falling fast. And the fall was not one he'd survive at this point. 

He panicked. Would he live? Would he die? Would he get to say everything he'd never gotten to say to so many people?

Lance...

Keith closed his eyes and prepared for impact on the hard street. 

 

But the impact never came.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	10. You wont hate me that much now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So after god knows how long its been... heh... ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ I took pity on you all. Take this pity while you can. This chapter: cute. Chapter 11: Fluffy af. Chapter 12: ...prepare yourselves. 12 and 13 were promised long ago to be painful. But i'm getting off topic. Here is chapter 10. You're welcome.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really sorry for how long this took to get out. Blame wattpad and my crap home wifi

Keith hadn't become a human pancake. Instead, he found himself in the arms of the figure he'd seen on the roof before. A red and black mask his his face, making it impossible for Keith to tell who was behind the mask. All he knew was that he was being carried by a mysterious masked stranger who had saved his life. And they were running. 

"So, uh, thank you, but you can put me down now," Keith said. The figure didn't reply verbally, just shaking his head and continuing to run. Keith gave up, allowing himself to be carried. Finally, he was being set down. They were in another alley, but this one looked familiar. Keith recognised it immediately as the one behind his apartment. As soon as his feet were on the ground and he'd gotten his bearings, Keith sprang into action. 

"Alright, who a-"

"Shhhh!" The figure said, looking around quickly. Nothing happened. There was nobody to be seen for miles. "We're clear," They said, sighing in relief. Keith froze. He'd heard that voice before, but where? Just as he was about to ask if they'd met, the figure pulled off his mask-

And Keith was staring into the ocean blue eyes of Lance. 

"Lance?" Keith said in disbelief, pulling off his own mask. Lance laughed. 

"What? Are you really that surprised? Who else is awesome enough to save your falling ass by cradling you in my arms?" He said. Keith tackled him in a hug, causing both of them to fall onto the hard ground. 

"Well thanks for saving my ass."

"Anytime, pretty boy," Lance said with a wink that caused Keith to flush bright red. Lance laughed, before standing and pulling Keith up with him. "We should get inside. Don't wanna risk being seen, you know?" 

"You're right," Keith said. The two quickly climbed the fire escapes to Keith's apartment, stumbling through the window. Both decided that before talking they needed to change, as they were both sweaty messes in their full body suits. Ten minutes later they sat on the couch, cuddled close to one another. 

"You scared me to death, you know," Lance said. "You're a hero. Danger is in the job description. Even I know that. Heck, everybody knows that. But to see you falling helplessly off a building?" He paused, a pained look on his face. "I was scared I wouldn't be able to catch you," Lance said quietly. 

"But you did. And I owe you big time for that. Heck, I literally owe you my life."

"Nope, you owe me nothing. All part of the daily job," Lance said. "But, since we're on the topic and I know you aren't the type to let things go, you could owe me a kiss," Lance said, looking at Keith with puppy dog eyes. Keith rolled his eyes, before smiling and pressing a kiss to Lance's lips. 

"Now," Keith said once the two had finally split apart. "How long have you been hiding you're hero alter-ego from me?"

"Hmm... about six months. But you're the main man of the city protection squad so i'm not really that important," Lance said. 

"Of course you're important! You just saved me from falling off a 40-story building!" Keith said. 

"Huh, I guess I did," Lance said with a smug smile. 

"So, what do I call you when we've got the masks on?" Keith asked. 

"Deadpool," Lance said. Keith pondered for a moment. "What?"

"I like it," Keith said. Lance smiled.

"I'm glad someone does," He replied. The two sat in silence for a while, both boys tired and half asleep on the couch. After what had to have been at least an hour, Keith spoke again.

"Lance?" He asked quietly. 

"Hmm?" Lance replied. 

"When I... when I fell, I honestly didn't think i'd make it," Keith said. "I was scared. And... my last thought before you caught me, well, I was thinking of you."

"Me?" Lance said quietly. 

"You, Lance. Because I thought..." Keith paused, tears threatening to spill over his pale cheeks. "I thought I'd never get to tell you how much I love you," Keith said as the tears spilled over his cheeks. Instantly, Lance was there, holding Keith's face gently. 

"It's okay Keith, please don't cry," Lance said softly, using his thumbs to wipe the salty tears off of Keith's face. "And Keith?" Lance asked. Keith looked at him, before Lance crushed him in a tight hug. Keith was sleepy, exhausted from the day's events. However, just before he fell asleep in the arms of the person he could honestly say he wanted to be with for the rest of his life, he heard three words that filled him with warmth from head to toe. 

"I love you."

Keith smiled as he fell asleep in Lance's arms. Shortly after, Lance did the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...you're welcome  
>  for now.


	11. calm before the HOT MESS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello my beans! So i'm going to keep the intro on this pretty short, but here's an overview: fluffy, EVERYONE IS HERE, attempted humor, all that good stuff. Shorter than usual but... chapter 12... lets forget about that for now...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter really is meant to just prepare you for the crud in the next chapter. Sorry?

School still hadn't resumed due to investigations and other 'classified formalities', so Keith and Lance decided to have another sleepover with all of their friends. After the whole 'falling-off-a-building-into-my-arms' incident, Lance was even more clingy than usual, a hand always linked with Keith's at the very least. 

Five minutes into the sleepover and they were already getting looks. Pidge, however, looked at them a little more smugly. 

"So are you two like, a thing now? Or do we have to keep waiting for you idiots to fall in love? They said, glancing back and forth at the two. Lance opened his mouth to speak, before Hunk interrupted him.

"Pidge, how about we let them tell us when they're ready instead of on the spot?"

"Fine," They said after a moment, before retreating to the kitchen. They had decided to have a sleepover at Lance's place, since it was larger than Keith's small apartment. They'd invited all of their friends, including Allura and even Matt, although he wouldn't be arriving until later due to college testing. Lance flopped on the couch, Keith beside him, and the others spread lazily around the room.

"So, you guys got anything in mind for tonight?" Shiro asked. 

"If i'm being completely honest, my idea was to binge watch Disney movies," Lance said. As if on cue, Pidge hollered from the kitchen.

"FUCK YES!"

"I'd say that's a yes from Pidge," Keith said with a laugh. "Anyone object?"

"I think we're all on board," Allura chimed in. Nods of agreement followed, so everyone got comfortable on the couches, chairs, and even the floor. Lance put on the first movie, which had been The Little Mermaid. 

 

Everyone lasted three seconds into the first major song before nobody was sitting anymore, and nobody was silent. Everyone sang at the top of their lungs and ran around the living room, screaming the words. Naturally, this process continued with each song to come. They made it through The Little Mermaid, Hercules, Pocahontas, and Beauty and the Beast before everyone changed into their pajamas as Matt arrived with pizza. They ate while watching Mulan, which was the worst choice they could have made. 

"Oh no," Hunk whispered. Keith shot him a questioning look. 

"What?"

"Just... pray he doesn't go crazy."

"Doesn't go-" Keith was suddenly cut off by Lance, who was on his feet, pizza disregarded, screaming lyrics. 

"LETS GET DOWN TO BUSINESS TO DEFEAT THE HUNS!!!" Lance literally screamed. Keith burst out laughing at the crazy boy, but couldn't help smiling. Soon everyone had joined in on the song, collapsing on the floor when they were done. It was late after that, and almost everyone had fallen asleep halfway through the next movie, which was Tangled. Keith and Lance were the only two left awake at this point. Lance was just about to drift off as well, but that was before he heard Keith. A song had begun to play in the movie, and Keith was singing along to Rapunzel's part. And Lance? He couldn't look away. So what did he do? He joined in on the respective part. Keith had heard Lance sing before, but not like this. He was entranced. Finally the part where they both sang together came, and the two stared into each other's eyes while doing so, never looking away. As the song came to a close, Lance realised they'd moved closer unconsciously. Keith sat on his knees, and Lance now had one knee tucked under him, the other hanging off the couch. Their noses were barely a few inches apart. The last note of the song came, and as it faded, the two did what had almost happened on the screen in front of them. Keith gently slipped a hand into Lance's hair, before pressing his lips to Lance's. In response, Lance cupped Keith's cheek. They felt each other smile, before breaking apart. They remained close, but shifted to lie more against Lance's couch. Lance pulled a blanket over them, before gripping Keith's hand tightly in his own. 

The two fell asleep curled up against each other, the movie long forgotten, but the kiss burned into their minds.

 

They both fell asleep with matching smiles on their faces and hands clasped together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prepare yourselves.


	12. TBH im not remotely sorry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well here it is. Let me just say two things:
> 
> 1: I have no regrets
> 
> 2: I promise, I love these characters and i'm simply doing this to make a story, not to make you hate me.
> 
> OK lets make it three things
> 
> 3: Please DM your reaction photos/rants to lancethelivingmeme on instagram so i can see how many of you lose it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually am a little sorry, but not enough to not laugh at all of you as you scream at me VIA dm

The next morning after everyone had left, Keith had made a decision. He was going to take Lance on a date. Not just any date either, but the most cliche yet adorable date ever. By late afternoon, the two were sat underneath the dappled light of trees, looking out at the ocean. Keith had remembered a nice spot by the cliffside walkway. The two were sat down on a slight inset, eating lunch. Or Keith was eating lunch, and Lance was trying to see how many grapes he could fit in his mouth at once.

"Please don't choke on those," Keith said. "It'd be bad if you died via grape inhalation," He said, which caused Lance to laugh. Instead of choking, however, he spit all of the grapes out.

"I'd almost beaten my record!" He said, still laughing as he collected the grapes, now dusty from the ground, and threw them away. He sat back down, putting an arm around Keith. "You're lucky I love you, otherwise i'd be mad."

"But would you really?"

"...No," Lance said after a moment, a smile crossing his face. He pressed a quick kiss to Keith's nose, causing the darker haired boy to blush bright red. The two sat in silence for a while, watching waves crash on the ocean. They barely noticed the dark clouds rolling in across the sky as the sun sank lower on the horizon.

"We should get going before it gets dark," Keith said, beginning to stand.

"Wait!" Lance said, grabbing his wrist.

"What is it?" Keith asked, sitting back down. Lance didn't let go of his hand.

"Wil..." He took a deep breath. "Keith, will you be my boyfriend?" Lance asked. Keith froze for a moment, before attacking him in a hug.

"Of course I will, you idiot," Keith said.

"You have to promise me though," Lance said, his eyes turning serious. "Don't put yourself in a situation where you could, you know, die, alright? Please?" He asked.

"Lance..."

"No, I can't have you getting hurt, Keith," Lance said.

"What about you?" Keith said, standing up. Lance stood as well. "So you can get hurt but I can't?"

"Keith, you don't understand-"

"Then tell me so I do!" Keith screeched. This wasn't going at all how he'd hoped. He scooped up the remainder of their things and walked off. "I'm going home," He called. Rain began to fall lightly around him. Keith walked home, angrily slamming the door and dropping his things before sliding against the door and burying his head in his knees. Tears streaked down his cheeks, and he tried to breathe normally. All he had wanted was the perfect date, and now he'd ruined it. He finally calmed down a few minutes later. After changing into his pajamas, he was about to read a book, before his phone vibrated.

Pidgeon: Have u seen the news?

Keith turned on the tv, partially curious and partially worried. What he saw had his eyes wide and his heart racing. It was the cliffside they'd been at not even an hour ago. Except now it was raining heavily, All Keith saw was the ambulance on the beach before grabbing his keys and running. He got to the cliff in less than 5 minutes. The ambulance was still there. Keith almost screamed when he saw the sight in front of him. Lance, the side of his head and shirt bloody, covered in mud and rain. His eyes were closed, He breathed as if he was clinging on for his life. The doors to the ambulance closed him in, and as it drove off, Keith fell to his knees. He saw his reflection in a puddle, and watched with fear as the puddle slowly became tainted red, the rain pushing the blood onto the rocks around him into the puddle beneath Keith's knees. He looked at his reflection, tears pouring down his face, and shakily whispered.

"What did I do?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT GETS BETTER I SWEAR


	13. This is better... i think...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...Does this even need an author's note?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise this will make up for chapter 12

The wet sand beneath Keith's knees fell to the ground as he stood, shaking. He knew this was his fault. Lance had gotten hurt after he'd left. Why had he left? Everything was blurring, memories hazy, until his phone vibrating in his pocket got his attention. He picked it up without looking at the caller ID.

"KEITH WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?"

"...I fucked up, Pidge," He said, his voice still weak. 

"I don't even want to know what the fuck you did, but you better get your ass over to the hospital and be there!" Pidge screeched at him. They paused for a moment, before speaking in a more sympathetic tone. "Look, he really cares about you. If you remotely care about him, please, go to him. He needs you, Keith."

"I'm on my way," Keith said, hanging up. He took off in a sprint, running as if his life was on the line instead of Lance's. He got inside, knowing he looked like a mess. Rain soaked T-Shirt, which happened to belong to Lance, coupled with sandy pajama pants and slippers made him look practically homeless. He walked up to the desk, hands clasped tightly in front of him. 

"Who are you here to see?" The front desk lady asked. 

"Lance McClain," He said. 

"What's your relationship to the patient?" She asked. 

"...Boyfriend," Keith said. 

"Floor 2, room 15," The lady said. Keith practically ran to the elevator the second she handed him a badge. He stopped just at the door. It had no window, and was closed almost entirely. He heard faint beeping of a heart monitor coming from inside. Cautiously, he pushed the door open and walked in. He choked up at the sight of Lance. His hair was still damp, but he had been cleaned up considerably. A bandage wrapped around part of his head. there were several IVs in his arms. Thankfully, the heart monitor he was hooked up to was beeping steadily and at a normal pace. He sat down in the chair beside the bed and grasped Lance's hand. 

"Lance..." He started, before getting choked up. Tears had begun streaming down his cheeks. "I... I am so sorry. I shouldn't have left you like that, I shouldn't have said what I said, oh god, Lance, I..." Keith let his head drop onto Lance's arm gently. "Please be okay, Lance. I... I don't know what I'll do without you," He said. He raised his head. Lance remained the same as he had been when Keith walked in. Keith sighed. and looked to the floor. A tear slipped down his cheek. He watched it splash on the bare skin of his foot that wasn't covered by his slipper. He squeezed Lance's hand, holding onto it like a lifeline, before something unexpected happened. 

His hand was squeezed back. 

Keith's head shot up, and he smiled wider than he ever had when his eyes met ocean blue ones. 

"Hey there, Mullet," Lance said, his voice hoarse. Keith covered his mouth with his free hand. 

"Oh my god you're okay," Keith said behind his hand, before attacking Lance in a hug. He only pulled back when he heard Lance inhale with pain. "Sorry!" Keith said as he sat up again. 

"It's alright, Keith," Lance said. He looked at Keith more seriously. "I mean it. Everything is alright. Everything," Lance said, looking Keith in the eye. 

"I shouldn't have yelled." 

"I shouldn't have reacted the way I did." 

"I shouldn't have run off."

"I should have followed you," Lance said. They were both quiet for a moment.

"How are you feeling?" Keith asked eventually. 

"Fine, actually."

"How? You fell off a cliff!" Keith said. 

"Just trust me on this, okay?" Lance asked. Keith nodded. Lance called for a nurse, and after a few minutes, Lance was being released. Pidge had texted Keith saying that his brother would pe picking them up and taking them to Keith's apartment. Keith was shocked at how good Lance looked for having just fallen off a cliff. It was like he'd just tripped and fallen down instead of having nearly died. As usual, Lance was taken down to the first floor in a wheelchair, where him and Keith waited for Matt to pick them up. He arrived quickly, and the passenger window rolled down to reveal... Shiro?"

"Sorry we took so long," Shiro said. Everything okay?" He asked. 

"Yep. I'm feeling pretty good," Lance said. 

"That's a relief," Matt said. He'd come around to open the back door for Keith and Lance. Lance started to stand to get into the car on his own, but suddenly he found himself hoisted in the air by Keith. 

"What are you doing?" Lance asked with a chuckle. 

"Carrying you, stupid. You did still fall off a cliff, you know."

"Hey, i'm not complaining," Lance said as Keith sat him down in the car and climbed in beside him. On the drive to Keith's apartment, Lance fell asleep, his hand in Keith's and his head on Keith's shoulder. Keith carried him all the way up to his apartment. Lance woke just as Keith had closed the door behind them. 

"Hey Keith," He said sleepily. 

"Yes, Lance?"

"Are you still my boyfriend?"

"Of course I am, you idiot," Keith said, kissing Lance's forehead. Lance decided that wasn't enough, as he reached out with his free hand to cup Keith's cheek and kiss him. When they broke apart, Lance was falling asleep again. Keith set him down on his bed and tucked him in. He was about to go sleep on the couch, but the hand holding his didn't let go. 

"Stay," Lance mumbled. That was exactly what Keith did. Keith pulled Lance close to his chest, and Lance held onto Keith tightly. 

"You sure you're okay?" Keith asked quietly. Lance nodded, his face buried into Keith's neck. All was quiet for a while, before Lance spoke one last sleepy phrase. 

"I love you, Keith," Lance muttered, before finally falling asleep. Keith smiled, tightening his grip on Lance. He too uttered one last sentence before falling asleep. 

"I love you too. More than you'll ever know, Lance."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See? What did i tell you?


	14. Chapter names? NAH

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> is this an appropriate time to bring back my infamous shrug face? maybe. Shout out to my fave shiros_eyeliner for kind of reminding me to write this since I totally didn't forget... heheheh.... heh.... ANYWAYS prepare for tooth rotting fluff and heart to heart talks between my fave boys. Plus, another MONTH OF ME NOT UPDATING BECAUSE IM LAZY!! 
> 
> okay okay ill update this time pls dont hurt me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is pretty fluffy... like seriously call your dentist its tooth rotting fluff. My teeth are gone and im in a sugar coma. I also make a reference to the amazing fic "And, Action!" by staysharp if you haven't read it go pls stop reading this and read it. ALSO PLEASE TAG ME IN ART ON INSTAGRAM (lancethelivingmeme) OR TUMBLR (leedoodles) ILL POST IT BECAUSE I LOVE IT

Keith woke up when the sun hit his eyelids the next morning, but it was something else that was making him feel good inside. Beside him, Lance still slept peacefully, arms wrapped around Keith's torso. His head was tucked into the space between Keith's shoulder and head, and Keith had an arm around Lance's waist. As Keith lie there, not wanting to wake Lance, he noticed something strange. For what had happened to him, he seemed oddly healed. Only a few bruises here and there and the occasional scabbed over cut. Nothing like the broken bones Keith had expected. Beside him, Lance's eyes scrunched tightly, before he opened them groggily. 

"Hi Keith," Lance said. Keith could have died at the way his voice sounded then. 

"Morning, sleepyhead," Keith said, adjusting so he was facing Lance a little more. "How do you feel?"

"Not completely better but... not bad," Lance said after a second. 

"Want to get up?" Keith asked. 

"...Not yet. I'm comfy here, and its cold out there and you're warm," Lance said. Keith blushed at that, but gladly pulled Lance closer. 

"Are you sure this isn't hurting you?" Keith asked quietly. Lance just tightened his grip on Keith. 

"I'm sure. Really," Lance said, smiling into Keith's chest. The two stayed there for about half an hour, before Lance's stomach growling interrupted them. Keith stood first, before helping Lance up. 

"Do you think you can walk?" Keith asked. 

"Probably," Lance said, grabbing Keith's hand. 

Two seconds later he discovered he in fact could not walk yet.

"Oh shit going down!" Lance cried as he almost fell on his face, but he found himself held up by sturdy arms. 

"That was close," Keith said once he'd managed to get Keith sitting again. Keith pondered for a moment, before grabbing Lance by the waist and throwing him over his shoulder. Lance squeaked in surprise. As Keith began to walk out to the main room of Keith, Lance laughed, and had to hold onto Keith's waist to prevent from flailing around. Keith gently set him down on the couch, trying not to drop him in his fit of laughter. 

"Well I suppose that was one way to get me out here," Lance said, still laughing. 

"First thing i thought of," Keith said, still smiling as well. "What do you want for breakfast?"

"Can you make me pancakes? Pleeeeeease?" Lance asked while giving Keith puppy-dog eyes. Keith stuck his tongue out at him, but still made him the pancakes. After he had two full plates of warm fluffy pancakes, Keith joined Lance at the couch. 

"Are they satisfactory?" Keith asked Lance, who was practically inhaling the pancakes. 

"Amazing!" Lance said with a mouthful of pancake. 

Keith could only smile brightly at this amazing boy. 

"Hey Keith?" Lance asked once he'd finished eating. 

"Hmm?"

"Can... can we just spend the day hanging out? You know, movies, video games, stuff like that?" Lance asked. 

"Of course," Keith said. Lance looked like there was something off though. "Lance, are you alright?"

"Yep, i'm good!" He said, looking like his usual self again. Keith popped a video game in and handed a controller to Lance, knowing something was still off. 

The two boys played video games up until lunch, and switched to movie watching after they'd eaten. It was just after dinner when Lance spoke, suddenly and seriously. 

"After you left that afternoon," Lance began, his tone stoic and slightly shaky. "I didn't know what to do. I thought i'd messed up. I had no idea what was really going on. I knew I shouldn't have pushed the issue on you right after i'd asked you if you'd be my boyfriend," Lance said, taking a shaky breath. "I lost it. I wandered around for a while, kind of kicked a few trees. I completely ignored it when it started raining. Once it picked up, though, thats- thats when I slipped.

"I slipped coincidentally right at a spot where the railing was kind of broken. I grabbed onto the end of it, and that's why I wasn't hurt too badly. I slid down the cliff more than I fell. But... I remember seeing you there afterwards, when the ambulance came," Lance said, before pausing and looking Keith in the eyes. "I knew then that you weren't mad at me. That you really did care. You looked so afraid and so worried standing there soaking wet in pajamas that... I knew i'd finally found someone who actually cared about me," Lance said. 

"I was so afraid, Lance," Keith said quietly. "When I saw you... I thought i'd lost you. I thought it was all my fault, and i'd never see you again. I-"

"Keith, what happened was in no way your fault."

"But-"

"No buts, Keith," Lance said with a soft smile. "What happened happened. Shit happens. we just have to move on with our lives and pick up the pieces and put ourselves back together," Lance said. 

"Since when are you so smart?" Keith asked teasingly. 

"Since always, mullethead," Lance said, laughing. Lance's laugh was contagious, and Keith found himself laughing too. When they stopped, their noses were mere centimeters apart, and they could feel each other's breath on their faces. 

"So, we're okay?" Keith asked. 

"We're more than okay," Lance said, smiling. 

Then, Lance kissed Keith. 

It was soft, yet strong at the same time. The kind of kiss that made Keith feel like he could melt on the spot. Neither of them knew how long they stayed like that, but when they broke apart Keith's lips were still warm and Lance's still tasted like Keith. The boys smiled, before Keith pulled Lance into a tight hug. 

"I'm glad you're okay, Lance," Keith said. "I don't know what i'd do without you." Lance smiled, and the two, both exhausted, decided to head to bed. Lance was awake longer than Keith, and as he watched Keith sleep, he smiled for the thousandth time that day. Brushing a piece of hair out of Keith's face, Lance pressed a gentle kiss to Keith's forehead. 

"I don't know what i'd do without you, Keith," Lance said, before finally drifting off. 

Keith opened his eyes an eternity later, the memory of Lance's kiss still dancing on his forehead. 

A glance at the clock before he fell asleep again told him it was 2:37 A.M.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... see you whenever my lazy ass bothers to update? I guess? 
> 
> idk. Love ya my beans!


	15. dear god im sorry for this

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That moment when you have to keep an update schedule so people don't think you died or some shit... Anyways the pre-chapter note is pretty important, as you'll see in a second. The chapter itself however does have a warning. There is mild homophobic language and slurs used, and if that makes you uncomfortable just skip from the page break where I've put the warning to the next page break after that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, in other news....
> 
> CONTEST TIME!!!!!!!
> 
> I'm hosting a contest (on instagram and tumblr) for a new piece of cover art for this fic. Entries will be accepted until I post chapter 16, so you have about 3-4 weeks (estimated. I'll get an actual date soon) to get in your entry. Tag me in your post (leedoodles on tumblr, lancethelivingmeme on instagram) and post it with the hashtag #behindthemaskLTLM so I can see it! The winner will not only get to have their artwork as the new cover, but will also get a shoutout on my instagram and my tumblr. Best of luck to you all, and here's chapter fifteen!

School was finally back in session, and Keith couldn't be happier. He threw himself into his work, his smarter side finally showing. Lance, however, was a whole other story. 

"Keeeeeeeeeith," Lance whined one afternoon, as him and Keith were working on homework at Keith's apartment. 

"Yes, Lance?" Keith asked, not looking away from the advanced calculus he was working on. 

"Help meeeeeeeeeee," Lance said, spinning in his chair. Keith got up, and walked over to look at the pre-calculus Lance was working on. He wrinkled his brow in confusion. 

"These are correct. What's the problem?" Keith asked. 

"Tell my teacher that," Lance huffed. "She always marks them wrong."

"I think I know why," Keith said after a moment. "You're erasing your work. You have to show your work so you prove you didn't cheat," Keith said. 

"Thanks, Keef," Lance said. Keith smiled and pressed a kiss to Lance's cheek before returning to his own work. 

______________________________________________

Keith and Lance discovered going back to school as boyfriends was harder than they thought. Not only was most of their school made up of jerks in general, but a fair amount of them were homophobic. Not to mention how popular Lance was. He had no problems hanging out with Keith, but the two decided it was better if they weren't seen together at school for Keith's sake. The school bullies were known to target anyone who decided to hang out with the 'cool kids' that wasn't 'cool' themselves. However, each time they passed in the hall, Keith's hand would automatically find Lance's, who would gently squeeze his hand before walking to his own class. 

__________________homophobic language warning 

Everything was good at school for about a week, before things began to go downhill. It all started at lunch. Someone had tripped Keith at lunch, which was not an uncommon thing. He'd been tripped many times; this was just another ordinary lunch thing for him. Except this time, it wasn't. Lance was at his side almost instantly, Helping him off the floor. 

"Are you alright?!" Lance had asked, sounding more concerned than anyone ever had. 

"I'm alright. My food isn't though," Keith said, before sighing. "It's alright."

"No, it's not," Lance said, thinking for a moment, before grabbing Keith's wrist and walking off. 

"Where are we going?"

"My table, silly. You've gotta eat something. Just share with me," Lance said. 

"O-okay," Keith said, still surprised. Lance plopped Keith down beside him at his table, sharing everything he had with Keith. The stares Keith received, however, didn't go unnoticed. As lunch ended and everyone was in a frenzy, Lance pressed a quick kiss to Keith's temple before going to class. 

That's when a mere 32 seconds later, Keith found himself slammed against a wall. When he opened his eyes, slightly dizzy, two of the boys and one of the girls who had been giving Keith dirty looks at lunch stood before him. 

"So, Kogane," The girl said, saying his last name as if it were poison in her mouth. "You seemed pretty cuddly with Lance today," She sneered. 

"Your point?" Keith said, trying to keep his anger under control, and his fear buried deep. 

"My point is that someone like you," She said, jabbing a pointy fingernail into Keith's shoulder, pushing him up to the locker again. "Shouldn't be getting so close with someone like him."

"Why does it matter to you what I do or don't do?" Keith said, trying not to shout. A fist slammed into his gut, pain shooting through his stomach and back, which had gotten slammed into the lockers again. 

"Because, you fag, we saw the way you look at him. It's disgusting," One of the boys, the one who punched him, said. 

"Yeah. What are ya trying to do, fuck up, turn him into a gay?" The other said, before kicking Keith's leg's out from underneath him. Keith struggled to stay on his feet. 

"Besides, anyone who has a brain in their head knows Lance has a thing for me," The snobby girl said. "Even someone as brainless as you has to see how he flirts with me."

"Lance flirts with everything that breathes," Keith said. That earned him a punch in the jaw. That was it. Keith was fed up. "What's so wrong with liking someone of the same gender? And more importantly, how does my love life affect you?" Keith said. The trio in front of him exchanged glances, and Keith thought he was in the clear. 

Until all three of them were attacking him. The two boys pinned him to the lockers as the girl, who was surprisingly strong, threw every punch she could get. She laughed, and was just about to throw the punch that would inevitably knock Keith, who already had more cuts and bruises than he could count, out cold. Keith closed his eyes, ready for the hit, when suddenly the arms that had held him down were gone, and he slumped to the floor. When he opened his eyes, his blurry vision landed on Lance's tall figure. The three bullies scrambled away, and Lance turned his ocean blue eyes on Keith. 

"Keith... oh god, Keith, I-"

"Lance, this isn't your fault."

"Yes, it is!" Lance said. Keith could see he was crying as he crouched down in front of Keith. "This is all my fault. I shouldn't have let those homophobic jerks even look at you. I should have protected you better than that. I knew they were jerks, I just-"

"Lance," Keith said, his voice mildly sore. "It's alright," Keith said with a small smile. He was fighting for consciousness. 

"No, it's not," Lance said, before scooping Keith up in his arms. "But let's get you to the nurse," Lance said, pressing a kiss to Keith's nose before walking down the hall. 

______________________________

Keith was sent home early to rest, and Lance managed to get out early too once he explained Keith lived alone. Lance helped him walk back to his apartment, and (to Keith's weak protests) carried him up the stairs. Keith was almost asleep again by the time they got home, so Lance set Keith down on his bed and tucked him in. 

"Lance," Keith said quietly, almost asleep. 

"Hmm?" Lance hummed in recognition. A hand on the back of his neck pulled him down, and he found his lips pressed to Keith's for a brief second. 

"Thank you," Keith whispered after releasing Lance. He was then out like a light. Lance smiled, and pressed another quick kiss to Keith's lips. 

"Anytime, love."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was incredibly hard to write. Especially the part in the middle. It hurt to write that. Anyways, I know this chapter was a little angsty. We're nearing the end of the story, so there's plenty of feels I have to cram in. 
> 
> Remember, tag all contest entries with #behindthemaskLTLM and tag either lancethelivingmeme (instagram) or leedoodles (tumblr) for me to see your entry! Love you all my beans!
> 
>  
> 
> -Lee


	16. When you make your friend upload for you because you forgot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the hiatus!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M BAAAAAAAAAAACK! Did you miss me? I hope y'all did. You may just be mad I vanished for so long tho. Oh and I believe I have a contest winner to announce... congrats putanotherxonthecalendar on Instagram! Everyones entries were amazing! I'll update the cover soon. I also apologize in advance for the next two chapters. I'm writing on my phone. So.... sorry. I may have my friend fix some stuff for me. The next two will be fairly short but action packed! I love you all. Enjoy the chapter! Content preview: hella gay, sad-ish section, fluff. Mostly cuteness to make up for last chapter and my lack of updates.

Keith woke up and shuffled out into the kitchen, on a wild hunt for Ibuprofen. He almost bumped into Lance while heading towards the medicine cabinet.

"Hey sleepyhead," Lance said. "How are you feeling?"

"I've been worse," Keith replied. Lance, knowing what he was looking for, grabbed the bottle of pain meds for Keith as Keith got a glass of water. Quickly downing two of the heavenly pills, Keith plopped down into one of the kitchen barstools, hissing in pain. Lance was immediately at his side.

"Are you okay?!" He asked, concern and a touch of fear filling his voice.

"Yeah yeah, I think I'm alright," Keith replied, though his voice was tense. Lance was quiet for a moment, still very concerned for his boyfriend.

"Keith," Lance said quietly, sliding into the stool next to Keith. He gently reached his hand out to brush Keith's fingertips with his own, causing Keith to look up at him. 

"How do you really feel?" Lance asked softly. Keith let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in.

"I'm less hurt physically than I am emotionally. Yes, I got beat up too, but..." Keith paused, taking a shaky breath in. "The saying 'sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me' is a lie. For me- us, even- words can hurt more than anything," Keith said, quickly trying to wipe away tears he didn't know had begun to fall. Lance's grip on Keith's hands tightened as he gasped quietly.

"They didn't-"

"They did."

"Oh my god, Keith I am so sorry..." Lance said, realizing it had been him that had introduced Keith to these people.

"Don't be sorry for something that's out of your control," Keith said, giving Lance a small smile. "They're people. Not all people are good people. One can only avoid the bad people in life for so long."

"Since when are you so philosophical," Lance asked, giving a snort of laughter.

"I guess since the ibuprofen kicked in," Keith said, also laughing.

"Want to watch a movie or something?" Lance asked.

"Don't we have school?" Keith asked, raising an eyebrow at Lance who knew perfectly well they had classes that day.

"I think they understand If you need a day off. And I don't feel like dealing with a bunch of pricks right now." Lance said. The two settled on the couch, deciding on watching Enchanted after a heated argument between that and Barbie Fairytopia. Keith, who was usually not big on physical affection, had snuggled into Lance's side, while Lance ran a hand through his hair. They stayed on the couch watching movies until it was late, and Keith headed to bed. Lance stayed behind, claiming he had homework to do. But long after Keith was asleep, Lance snuck out the window, face hidden behind a mask. He had three assholes the world managed to accept as people he needed to take care of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was so hard to write on my phone oh my god. I hope you liked this chapter! Hopefully the next one will be longer but I'm very fed up with writing on my phone and I forgot my laptop. I think this is gonna end at 20 chapters, so we're almost to the end! I have HTH in the works but expect slower updates as of now, I'll update that more often once this one is done. Sorry for the hiatus my beans! Love ya! Remember feedback is always welcome and I love hearing from y'all!  
> -Lee


	17. Whoops forgot to update!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well prepare to hate me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey my beans! I'm currently in... somewhere California... writing the last four chapters. I'm beyond tired and my computer is at 11% so yay me. Sorry if this chapter is crap and quite short. Its a build-up chapter for the final fight. Next two after it are action packed, and then the final one :( sadness. I promise the final three will be amazing. This one... no promises.

The next day, Keith did actually go back to school. Things were beyond different. It was as if a label had been stamped on his forehead. Word must have spread about the incident, because everywhere he went, people were staring. By his side, however, stood Lance, head held high and ready to downright murder anyone who dared mess with his boyfriend ever again. Keith managed to survive the looks until lunch, but things went downhill from there. Of course, the trio had to show up again. Before they could say a word, Lance was standing between them and Keith.

"What do you think you're doing?" Lance asked, a slight bite in his voice. The girl sneered at him. 

"Trying to teach this little fag a lesson, duh," She said, trying to grab Lance's hand. He pulled away.

"Leave me and my boyfriend alone, Nyma. Go find someone else to bother," Lance said, reaching to grab Keith's hand. Keith smiled, and Nyma looked like someone had stabbed a kitten in front of her.

"But-"

"How do I put this politely, Nyma? Fuck off," Lance said, causing gasps to be heard from nearby tables. Nyma huffed. 

"Fine. Good luck," Nyma said, leaving with a huff and a swish of her hair. The cafeteria was almost dead silent as Lance sat down next to Keith, sliding an arm around his shoulders and pulling him close. The two finished their lunch, Keith hiding a small smile the whole time. As the bell rang for the next class to begin, Keith grabbed Lance's arm. 

"You okay?" Lance immediately asked. Keith smiled, and looked him in the eye. 

"I'm better than okay," He said, trailing off, before attacking Lance in a hug. "Thank you," Keith said, his voice just above a whisper in Lance's ear. 

"Anything for the love of my life," Lance said, pulling back to look at Keith with the cheesiest grin on his face. Keith managed to blush and stutter, before the late bell rang and both boys sprinted to class. 

\-------------------------------------

After school, the boys had headed over to Pidge's house to hang and play video games. Pidge was bent on getting revenge on Keith for beating them at Mario Kart, while Lance and Hunk had decided Allura needed a makeover. Lance was expertly doing her makeup while Hunk was doing a complicated braid in her hair. Matt and Coran were talking in the kitchen. Shiro was running late. Everything was quiet for a while, until...

"YOU'VE GOT TO BE FUCKING KIDDING ME!" Pidge screamed, as they once again lost to Keith. Everyone laughed, until Pidge turned their wild eyes to glare at everyone. "I'd stop laughing if I were you, or Keith won't be the only one that's dead," Pidge said. Lance calmly spoke, his eyes still focused on blending Allura's eyeshadow. 

"Lay a finger on my boyfriend you little gremlin and you'll have hell to pay," Lance said calmly, almost cheerfully. Naturally that had the whole group screaming, but all of a sudden it wasn't just them screaming. All of their phones were too. 

"What's happening?" Matt asked from the kitchen. 

"Amber alert," Coran said, walking to the middle of the living room and switching the TV to the news. The gang watched in horror at the scene in front of them. Not only had someone been kidnapped, hence the Amber alert, but they were being held hostage in an abandoned firework factory, meaning the place could go up in flames and likely would at any minute. 

"I have to go," Keith and Lance said at the same time, running out the door and heading home, sharing only a confident glance before parting ways. Both ran faster than before, and hurried to grab what they needed, because this was no ordinary mission. They'd both seen a glimpse of who had been taken. 

It was Shiro.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WELL WELL WELL WHAT DO WE HAVE HERE? I'm just trying to torture y'all before the end. And besides the ending of this chapter seems very fitting, don't you think? See you in the next chapter, the final battle part 1. This is it. Three chapters left. Buckle up bitches, because its gonna be one hell of a ride. 
> 
> -Lee


	18. Finale Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hngggggggg

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. Here we are. The final battle begins. This is it. 
> 
> Here. We. Go.

Keith swung from building to building, eyes scanning the city for the building Shiro was being held in. He could only remember one time he'd been this worried, and he didn't want this situation to end up like that one. Lance wasn't far behind, but was taking his own path, following Keith above him. Lance looked from the streets since the news coverage had a better view of the building from the front than from the top. 

"Yo Keith, can you hear me?" Lance's voice was suddenly in Keith's ear. 

"First, yes, second, what the fuck," Keith replied. Lance laughed. 

"I outfitted out masks with earpieces so we can communicate easier."

"Smart," Keith said, jumping to another building. "Any sign of the building?"

"None so far," Lance said, feet flying across the ground. "Wait, up ahead to the left. Is that it?" Lance asked, seeing a building up ahead. 

"Yes! That's it! Good eye, Lance!" Keith said, landing in front of it moments later. Lance skidded to a stop behind him. The two moved to be hidden in a cluster of trees.

"Alright, we need a game plan. Do you have any actual weapons aside from your like, web shit?" Lance asked. It didn't take much to know Keith was glaring through his mask. 

"Web shit? Really? And no, my webs are usually enough. Then again, i've never faced anything this serious," Keith said. 

"Take this," Lance said, grabbing a sword from off his back. Keith took it. It felt good and sturdy in his palm. He secured it at his side with a bit of webbing. "Uh," Lance started. "Have you ever even used a sword before?"

"I mean, it's been a while but I know how," Keith said. Lance nodded briefly. "Alright, what's our plan? I'm thinking we need to split up once we get inside."

"I'll cover the left from the ground, you cover the right from the roof?" Lance suggested. 

"Sounds good to me. If you see anything, let me know. I'll do the same," Keith said, turning towards the building. 

"Wait!" Lance said, grabbing his wrist. 

"What is it?" Keith asked softly. Lance pulled his mask back, a worried look on his face. "Talk to me, Lance," He said, lifting his own mask off. 

"If... if something happens and... one of us... or both..." Lance trailed off, before squeezing his eyes shut and grabbing Keith's face in shockingly gentle hands. Their lips met, just for a few seconds, but both kissed like it would be there last, because it very well could be. When they pulled away, both smiled, before slipping their masks back on. 

"You ready?" Keith asked. 

"As i'll ever be," Lance replied with a tense laugh. The two slipped inside the old building silently, splitting and going their own ways. The inside was dark, and looked, well, like a stereotypical abandoned factory building. Old light fixtures creaked, and the few that were on flickered. Keith noted that there seemed to be many side rooms. From one on the left, a faint light spilled onto the floor. 

"You see the door?" Keith asked. 

"Yep. Hear stuff too. Want to check it out?"

"Yep. Let's go," Keith said, landing quietly next to Lance on the floor. They walked in slowly, and everything seemed fine. Until three masked men approached them, guns in hand. Keith pushed Lance behind him and grabbed the sword at his waist, and when the first one tried to fire, Keith effectively sliced that arm off before knocking him out. The sword went on to take the guns out of the other two's hands, before the handle of the sword knocked one man out so only one remained. Keith managed to make a large cut on the man's leg, before throwing him against a wall to knock him out. 

"Sharp work, samurai! That was awesome!" Lance said quietly. Keith chuckled. The two proceeded into the room, which turned out to be more of a hallway than anything. There was only one door at the end. They pushed it open quietly to reveal a room full of security monitors. Lance quickly took out the guard monitoring them, and the two flipped through the cameras to see if they could find Shiro. Eventually they did. Keith was not happy. He didn't seem to be too scratched up, only the occasional bruise here and there. He was strapped to some kind of table, and a bunch of odd glowing machines and strange liquids lined the room. Someone entered the room, as shown by the brief light flashing on the floor in front of Shiro, and the dark shape of someone's head. Another, who looked to be a woman by the length of her hair, stepped beside Shiro. Her face was hidden by a long cloak. Keith almost growled when she put some kind of IV into Shiro's arm. The person standing before Shiro spoke. 

"Talk," They said, voice deep. 

"I'm telling the truth! I have no idea who either of them really are!" Shiro practically screamed. Keith and Lance glanced at each other. A silent question passed between the two, although they both knew that Shiro was talking about them. On screen, Shiro hissed in pain. Whatever was in that IV couldn't be good. 

"We need to find him," Keith said suddenly. 

"Agreed. I'll take right this time, you take left," Lance said as the two ran down the hall. 

"If either of us finds him, tell the other. And Lance?" Keith said. 

"Yeah?"

"If anything happens..." Keith trailed off, before looking Lance in the eye. "I love you," He said. Lance crushed him in a quick hug. 

"I love you too," He said, before both ran off in opposite directions. Lance checked every room for some sign of activity, but they were all empty and dark. Keith had the same situation, until he came across another hallway that was tucked away under a staircase. He went into the first room in the hall, which was pitch black. The door slammed behind him, and he struggled to see.

"Finally you've decided to join us," A voice said. Keith registered it as the same one that had spoken earlier to Shiro. Keith turned to face him, hand reaching for the sword at his hip. 

"Lance, I need-" Keith's voice cut off abruptly. 

"Keith? Keith what happened? Keith!" Lance cried.

But all he heard was static.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've finally made it to the last battle. 
> 
> But can you survive my cliffhangers?


	19. Finale Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> heh

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Evil giggle*

"Keith!" Lance screamed, tears pricking at his eyes when yet again there was no response to his call. Something had happened, and the fact that he didn't know what was killing him. He sprinted down the halls blindly, trying to find the camera room again. When he found it, he was out of breath, and could barely see. He clicked through all the cameras. The room Shiro had been in was now completely deserted, and when he came back to the first camera, he'd seen nobody. He slammed a fist down on the desk, hearing a satisfying crack. But the crack of the wooden desk wasn't the only thing he heard. A faint scream came in the background, sounding faintly like it was above him. He took off, sprinting for the stairs. The screams continued, and Lance prayed it was not coming from Shiro or Keith. The third floor came and went, and the screams were only getting louder. The fourth floor. Still louder but muffled. The fifth. The screams were clear as day. And they belonged to Keith. Lance froze for a split second before taking off, throwing doors open, until only the one at the end of the hall remained. He kicked it in, and the sight before him was horrifying. 

Keith, who thankfully still had his mask on, was strapped to what looked like a modified electric chair. Shiro was tied to a post behind him, and two people stood just off to the right of the room. One was the woman he'd seen before, long white hair the only thing showing from out of her hooded outfit. The other was a tall man who wore a purple mask, with glowing yellow eyes. His outfit could only be described as the most stereotypical villain outfit you'll ever see. He spoke. 

"Good to see you've finally joined us, Deadpool," He said, his voice deep. Lance growled. 

"Yeah, and I see you ready to have your ass handed to you on a silver platter," Lance hissed. The woman beside the man chuckled. 

"Zarkon, how about we give him a little motivation to cooperate?" She said, her voice sly. 

"Lovely idea," The man, Zarkon, replied. He pushed a button on a remote in his hand, and Keith screamed in pain. It was brief, but enough to make Lance want to scream himself. 

"What do you want?" Lance growled. 

"Isn't it obvious? Information. If I can expose two of the greatest heroes this city has ever seen, i'll gain even more power than I already have. It's humorous, really," He continued, beginning to walk over to Keith. "Your friend here thought he could beat me. Foolish," He said as he raised Keith's chin with a finger. 

"Get your filthy fucking hands off of him," Lance hissed. Surprisingly, he did remove his hand. And as he did, Keith punched him in the face. Somehow he'd managed to unhook his arms that had been strapped down, and was now on his feet again. 

"You okay?" Lance called, wanting to rush over but hesitating, instead keeping a foot on the now almost unconscious Zarkon. 

"A little shaky, but i've been worse. Let's get Shiro and-"

"Where do you two idiots think you're going?" A voice sneered. The two boys had forgotten about the woman standing in the room as well. She laughed again, before suddenly a beam of what looked like purple electricity shot between Keith and Lance. 

"Oh look, you've got lasers and shit. Well look what i've got, bitch!" Lance screamed, running at her with a sword drawn. She pulled a staff from seemingly out of thin air, blocking his blade just before it hit her neck. The two engaged in battle, and Keith jumped as Zarkon stirred and was suddenly on his feet as well. Keith shot up into the rafters, grabbing the sword he still had at his side. He heard gunshots, and briefly glanced down to see that Lance had grabbed a gun. Keith was snapped back to his own fight when a blast of purple energy shot inches from his head. He swung around to avoid it, and effectively kicked Zarkon in the face as well. Lance managed to hit the woman with the barrel of his gun, and both were now down for the count. Keith ran over to Shiro, who for the first time ever had a hint of fear in his eyes. 

"You two have got some skills. I owe you my life," Shiro said once he was free. 

"Forget about it. Let's try getting out of here alive first," Keith said. They made it to the fourth floor with ease. Then the third. Then the second. They were just about to enter the last stairwell when the door leading to it was flung open. The hooded woman stood in front of them, chuckling darkly. Behind them, Zarkon walked forward like he hadn't just been kicked in the face two minutes ago. 

"Haggar, lock the door," Zarkon said to the woman, who went to lock it but pulled her hand away when a bullet from Lance's gun became lodged in the wall mere inches away. 

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," She said, raising a palm to him. Lance was suddenly thrown against the wall, causing Keith to first gasp in shock, then turn to Haggar, fists raised. He managed to get in a punch in her side before her hand came in contact with his shoulder and it began to burn in pain, and he pulled back. 

"That wasn't a smart move. You three are coming with me," Zarkon said. The three were escorted outside the building, Keith and Lance too weak to do anything and Shiro just... there. 

"Here's where the fun begins," Haggar said, coming to stand beside Zarkon.

"Either one of you can die tonight, or all three," Zarkon said, as he dropped three bullets into the chamber of an old looking gun. "What'll it be?"

"How about none?" Shiro suddenly said, before punching Zarkon in the face. Zarkon caught Shiro's arm and threw him to the ground roughly. Keith and Lance stayed focused on the two, who didn't seem to notice Shiro slipping away into the bushes and pulling out his phone, likely calling the police. 

"You've heard me. Who dies? You get to choose," Zarkon said. 

"How about you?" Keith spat. Zarkon shot at him, the bullet tearing through the side of the shoulder where he had been shot weeks ago. Keith hissed in pain but stayed standing. 

"I won't repeat myself again," Zarkon said, stepping closer to the two. The sound of police sirens could be heard coming closer quickly. Zarkon suddenly grabbed Keith by the injured arm, pulled him closer, and held the gun against the side of his head. "You or him. Choose," Zarkon said. Lance froze. Zarkon moved his finger to the trigger. 

"Shoot me!" Lance cried. 

"No-"

"Do it!" Lance screamed again. He kept his eyes trained on Keith. For a moment, the world went silent. His eyes moved to the barrel of the gun, now pointed at him. He closed his eyes.

A gunshot rang through the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Drops chapter like it's flaming and runs away laughing*


	20. Finale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter oh shit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *singing* What can I say except YOU'RE FUCKING WELCOME

A bullet shot through Lance's chest. Keith screamed. And then nothing happened. Lance looked down at his chest, before looking back up at Zarkon.

"Damn, you ruined my outfit," Lance said, sighing. 

"But... How? I shot you right in the heart!" Zarkon screamed. 

"Newsflash: You aren't gonna kill me. Or anyone else for that matter," Lance said, Pulling one sword out and holding it to his throat. Keith pulled out his own and put it behind him, effectively pinning Zarkon in place. Shiro walked up behind them with Haggar, her arms pinned behind her back. At that moment, Police cars pulled up in front of them, along with the expected news vans. Haggar and Zarkon were handcuffed and escorted to separate cars, while Keith and Lance were bombarded with interviewers. Even Shiro was asked a few questions. Nobody but Shiro, however, seemed to notice that the two boys hadn't let go of each other's hands. Once the news crews finally left, the boys relaxed. 

"We'll escort you home. Where to?" Keith asked, although he already knew. Shiro told him Pidge's address, and the three made their way to the house. The door flew open the second the doorbell rang, and Shiro was attacked in hugs. 

"Hey, I'm okay!" He said. "Thank these two for that," Shiro said when he finally escaped all the arms of his friends, gesturing to the two boys. Hunk squealed, Allura started clapping rapidly, and Matt and Pidge just stood their with gaping jaws. Pidge was the first to speak. 

"No fucking way!" They cried!

"Pidge, language!" Shiro said jokingly. 

"Oh shut your fuck, Shiro. You two, get in here!" Pidge demanded. Keith and Lance laughed, but stepped inside. The door closed behind them, and immediately everyone in the house tried to bombard them with questions. 

"Woah, guys, calm down!" Keith said. They all immediately shut up. Keith glanced at Lance, who nodded. 

"So, we actually trust you guys a fair amount so..." Lance trailed off, and looked at Keith. The two boys pulled their masks off at the same time. Yet again, jaws dropped. 

"No..."

"Fucking..."

"Way!" Hunk finished for the group, who couldn't seem to form a coherent sentence. Hugs were exchanged after that, a few (okay, more than a few) tears were shed, and most of all, everyone was happy. The TV was on in the background, and it wasn't long before news of a small robbery came on screen. 

"One last run for the night?" Keith asked, pulling his mask on. 

"You know it!" Lance replied, pulling his own mask over his face. "Don't worry, we'll come back!" He called as they ran out the door. Thankfully it was small, the suspects caught quickly, and the two could return within the hour. They all talked for a while, even ordered a pizza, and enjoyed some well-deserved down time with their friends. As the group chatted with Shiro once things died down, Keith and Lance managed to slip outside onto the swinging bench on Pidge's porch. 

"Are you okay?" Keith asked, lacing his finger's with Lance's. 

"Perfectly fine, actually. Funny thing about me," Lance said, looking at Keith. "I can't die."

"So that's why..." Keith trailed off, Lance knowing what he was going to say. 

"Why I didn't die at the cliff a while ago, and why I recovered so quickly," Lance said. 

"Still, don't go around almost dying. It scares me," Keith said with a chuckle, leaning on Lance's shoulder. The two sat in silence for a while, enjoying the cool night air and the quiet. They sat there for almost an hour before moving. 

"Lance?" Keith asked, sitting up. 

"Hmm?" Lance hummed in response. 

They kissed. 

When they broke, Lance ran a hand through Keith's hair, which had gotten even longer since they'd first met. 

"I still remember the night we met," Keith said quietly. "I saved you and then you kissed me."

"It was pretty great, wasn't it?" Lance replied with a smile.

"How... how did you know I wouldn't reject you?" Keith asked. 

"I just had a feeling," Lance said. 

"And what might that feeling be?" Keith asked with a smile. Lance grabbed his hand.

"That there was someone worth loving behind the mask."

 

\---THE END---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. I can't believe it. This thing is finished. I might actually be sad guys! It's been a wild ride. 20 chapters, over 40k reads and 3k votes... I don't deserve all of this. This story started off as a little quick write for a friend, and now we're here. A week ago I didn't even want to finish it. Now? I'm sad its over. There might be a sequel in the future. As of now, I don't know. I have another fic to update and one to start writing, but this one will always hold a special place in my heart. Through the ups and downs, you guys all have been wonderful. From the happy comments at the end of fluffy chapters to the screaming ones i'm reading as I write this, the final Author's Note, I can honestly say i'll miss it. I'll miss all of you. So thanks, you guys, because this story really wouldn't be here without you. 
> 
> I'd like to keep hearing from you guys. I love seeing your reactions and fanart! THE FANART IS AMAZING! I'm easily accessible any time on Instagram! (luciferthelivingmeme or lancethelivingmeme, both work)
> 
> Have story suggestions? Let me know! I'd love to keep writing little oneshots for you guys while having bigger fics going. 
> 
> And as always, i'll see you in the next fic. 
> 
> For the last time in this story, I love y'all, my beans. Each and every one of you.
> 
> Oh, and thanks for the memories. 
> 
> -Lee


End file.
